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| Winter Olympics medals standings 5pm EST on Feb 9th |
Italy is having a moment. Many of the best athletes from around the world are gathered in Italy right now to compete for Olympic glory.
These young men and women will be fortunate enough to hear first-hand the passion of the Italian crowds at every ski jump, every downhill run, and at every sliding and skating event. The world watches as they glide down pristine slopes and compete on meticulously prepared ice. This Games is not merely a competition; it is a grand celebration of winter sports, showcasing Italy's organizational finesse and its unparalleled natural beauty. Contrary to how it is advertised, the Olympic venues are diverse and are not all located in only Cortina or Milan (Milano).
There is a cluster of events in the northern part of Lombardy, near to the Swiss border. This area is the home of high-altitude competition: Bormio hosts the Men's Alpine Skiing on the legendary Stelvio slope, along with the Olympic debut of Ski Mountaineering. Livigno is the freestyle and snowboarding capital, hosting moguls, aerials, and halfpipe events.
The Antholz Valley is located in the Dolomites in northern Italy south of the Austrian border. This specialized venue is world-famous for biathlon and is hosting all the shooting-and-skiing events. The nearby Val di Fiemme valley, also in the Dolomites, is the heart of endurance and flight competitions. Predazzo is where the ski jumping and Nordic combined events are happening. While Tesero hosts cross-country and the skiing portion of the Nordic combined.
And fair Verona, the "city of love", will serve as the venue for the closing ceremony in two weeks from now. This romantic city is the iconic, historical setting for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, where the lovers' forbidden romance unfolded against a backdrop of Renaissance architecture, including the famous Juliet’s House (Casa di Giulietta) and its 20th-century balcony.
Milan itself hosts the majority of the indoor events and Cortina is where the rest of the speed and sliding happens.
Italy hosted the Winter Olympics in Cortina previously in 1956. That Games truly cemented their place in the annals of Olympic history with the place providing a stunning, picturesque backdrop for the Games. It is no surprise that it was chosen as one of the main venues again. That Games was such a success that Italy also hosted the Winter Olympics in 2006, when Turin (Torino), the biggest city closest to France, was the primary venue.
Turin offered a different yet equally captivating experience, blending urban sophistication with easy access to magnificent alpine venues. Those Games were a triumph of modern organization, sustainability, and technological innovation. Turin's rich cultural heritage was seamlessly integrated into the Olympic experience, from the vibrant ceremonies to the bustling Olympic villages. The 2006 Games were particularly memorable for Italy, as its athletes delivered stellar performances on home soil.
Well, Italy's athletes are doing it again this year. They are currently dominant in the overall medal table with the most number of medals won overall after the first 5 days of competition (see pic above). These victories, cheered on by enthusiastic home crowds, not only brought immense pride but also showcased the depth of Italy's talent across the various disciplines. The atmosphere is electric at all the sporting venues, with numerous impromptu dance parties happening in the galleries and athlete enclosures alike.
There is a real fusion of sporting excellence with an Italian zest for life that makes these Games special.
Beyond the Olympics, Italy has consistently produced world-class athletes in other sports too. The global sport in which they are most dominant currently is tennis. Italy holds the world number one ranking in both men's teams and women's team tennis. One could say that Italian tennis is currently in a 'golden era' as it is enjoying an unprecedented sweep of international team titles and individual milestones that have cemented Italy’s status as the most dominant nation in modern professional tennis.
Their men’s tennis team has secured three consecutive Davis Cup titles 2023, 2024, and 2025 (the 'World Cup' of tennis)), a feat led by world number one Jannik Sinner and supported by the depth of players like Matteo Berrettini, Lorenzo Musetti, and Flavio Cobolli. Not to be outdone, the women’s team has mirrored this dominance by winning back-to-back Billie Jean King Cup titles in 2024 and 2025 (the 'World Cup' of women's tennis), fueled by the breakthrough performances of Jasmine Paolini, who reached multiple Grand Slam finals and captured the 2025 Italian Open singles and doubles titles; that on top of the latest Olympic Women's doubles gold at Paris 2024 with Sara Errani.
Aside for dominance at the Olympics and on the tennis court, Italian rugby is going from strength to strength too. This Saturday the Italian men played in their opening game of the Six Nations Ruby tournament and beat one of their biggest rivals in the competition, Scotland.
The Italian team has undergone a profound transformation over the last few years to become a legitimate threat to the European rugby elite. This upward trajectory was highlighted by a historic 2024 Six Nations campaign, where Italy achieved its best-ever finish (5th) with a record 11 points, following wins over Scotland and Wales and a dramatic draw against France. They sustained this competitive edge through 2025, securing another victory over Wales and pushing world number one Ireland to the brink in a narrow five-point loss.
So the opening win this year against Scotland proves that their tactical discipline under head coach Gonzalo Quesada and the emergence of world-class talents like Tommaso Menoncello and Paolo Garbisi have firmly established the Azzurri as a top-tier rugby power. They play again this weekend against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday February 14th, Valentine's Day.
Side note: Dublin is actually home to the remains of Saint Valentine. His relics, including his heart, were apparently gifted to an Irish priest by the Pope in the 19th century and are housed in a shrine at the Whitefriar Street Church in Dublin's city center, not too far from the Aviva stadium where the rugby match will be played. No doubt many fans, and maybe some players, will be balancing "romantic duties" with the rugby. And by romantic duties obviously I mean the couples that visit the church together on Valentine's Day to have their wedding or engagement rings blessed at the shrine of Saint Valentine. I got side tracked and didn't even mention the biggest sports in Italy yet, right.
Italy's beloved Formula 1 team, Ferrari, has the best record in the history of the sport. As the only team to have competed in every season since the world championship's inception in 1950, Ferrari stands as the most successful and decorated icon in Formula 1 history, boasting a record 16 Constructors' Championships and 15 Drivers' Titles. While the team entered a period of relative drought following their last team title in 2008, the last few years have signaled a significant technical and cultural resurgence.
Ferrari has slowly climbed back to become a consistent frontrunner, culminating in a stellar 2024 season where they secured five wins—including a historic home victory at Monza by Charles Leclerc—and finished as runners-up in the Constructors' Championship. Although the 2025 campaign proved challenging as the team prioritized development for the massive 2026 regulation changes, the high-profile signing of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton alongside Leclerc has repositioned the "Prancing Horse" as a central protagonist of the sport's new (50/50 hybrid engine) era.
And that bet paid off last week in Barcelona where Hamilton's Ferrari was fastest of all the F1 cars during testing. After how much Lewis struggled with the car last season this is certainly something nobody saw coming. In fact, there has been much talk of Mercedes and Red Bull gaming the rules and getting higher compression ratios under driving conditions than the other teams, but perhaps this competitive advantage was a little oversold and Ferrari have the fastest car this year after all. We will know soon enough when the races officially start in March.
Also looking ahead to next month, Italy is on the verge of potentially making history once again as their soccer team prepares to qualify for the World Cup in North America this summer. They have two matches in March and have to win both to proceed to the finals. They will play Northern Ireland at home on Thursday, March 26th, and, should they win, will face either Wales or Bosnia+Herzegovina on Tuesday, March 31st. Should the Italy team go through to the World Cup finals this summer they will be one of the 'dark horse' favorites to win the whole thing (they always are).
Irrespective of how things pan out for the Azzurri, Team Italy is shining brightly on the world's sporting stage in 2026 and expect them to continue weaving their magic at the Olympic competitions, on tennis courts, and on race tracks around the world.
