The Winter Olympics, which will also take place in South Tyrol, begin in 100 days. © APA / EXPA/JOHANN GRODER

Tickets, buildings, prospects: 100 days until the Olympics

Winter is fast approaching – and with it the Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. While athletes, fans, and officials eagerly await the climax of the season, the final preparations for the sporting spectacle are underway.

28 October 2025

From: dpa/sn

Work is still underway at several competition venues, and tickets are still available for several events. Here are the answers to the most important questions, 100 days before the start of the Winter Games.

When does it start?

The Games run from February 6th to 22nd. The official kickoff will be Friday evening, the 6th, with an opening ceremony at Milan's San Siro Stadium. However, preliminary and qualifying events, such as curling and snowboarding, are scheduled for the two days prior. Even before the Olympic flame is lit, Germany faces a challenge: the women's national ice hockey team will play its first preliminary round match against Sweden on Thursday. The closing ceremony will take place on February 22nd in the ancient Verona Arena. Nearly 2900 athletes from all over the world are expected to participate in the Olympic Games.

What are the highlights of the Winter Games likely to be?

The men's ski races in Bormio and the women's ski races in Cortina d'Ampezzo are the first Olympic alpine events on traditional World Cup courses in two decades. There are likely to be atmospheric sporting events at the biathlon in the iconic resort of Antholz, as well as at the Nordic events in Val di Fiemme. Indoor ice hockey competitions, including the ice hockey tournament, will take place in Milan. One sport will be making its Olympic debut: ski mountaineering in Bormio.

There's likely to be a big Olympic party in Antholz. © ANSA / ANDREA SOLERO

Which stars can fans look forward to?

In ice hockey, superstars from the North American NHL will be allowed to compete for the first time since Sochi 2014. Among the ski racers, long-time dominant players Mikaela Shiffrin and Marco Odermatt are looking to shine—but the 41-year-old Lindsey Vonn could also be in the spotlight after her comeback last year.

Are there still tickets available for the various competitions?

The organizers have not officially disclosed how many tickets were sold. According to reports, 800.000 of a total of approximately 1,2 million tickets have been sold. For some disciplines, such as alpine skiing, bobsleigh, luge, ski jumping, and curling, individual tickets are no longer available on the official portal; only expensive hospitality packages remain. Remaining tickets are available for events such as figure skating, speed skating, snowboarding, and freestyle skiing; however, some of these are very expensive. According to the organizers, more than half of all tickets were available for less than 100 euros each – tickets in these price ranges are now only available for events such as biathlon, cross-country skiing, and Nordic combined.

Training has already begun in the new ice track in Cortina d'Ampezzo. © Photo Hermann Sobe / Hermann Sobe Medienservice HS

Are all competition venues ready for the Olympics?

All competition venues "will be finished on time," says Fabio Massimo Saldini, the special representative for Olympic construction, according to the Ansa news agency. In many places, final spurts are needed: In Livigno, where the snowboarders and freestyle skiers compete, the spectacular finish stadium was still a shell just a few weeks ago. For months, the biggest concern was the lack of a toboggan and bobsleigh run – even relocating it abroad was considered. But then, in less than a year, a new track was built in Cortina d'Ampezzo.