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2026 Winter Olympics, 2028 Summer Olympics: Facts to know

The next Winter Olympics will take place in 2026. Guy Rhodes/USA TODAY Sports

All eyes were on France as thousands of the world's top athletes converged on the host city of Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Next up are the 2026 Winter Games in Italy and the 2028 Summer Olympics, which will be held in the United States for the first time since 1996.

Here are key facts about the upcoming Olympic slate.

When are the 2026 Winter Olympics?

The 2026 Winter Games will take place from Feb. 6-22, 2026. The 2026 Winter Paralympic Games will be from March 6-15, 2026.

Where are the 2026 Winter Olympics?

The 2026 Winter Games will be held in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.

How many athletes will compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics?

About 2,900 of the world's best athletes will participate in the 2026 Winter Games.

How many new sports will there be at the 2026 Winter Olympics?

Ski mountaineering will make its Olympic debut at the 2026 Winter Games. It will feature three events - men's and women's sprints, and a mixed relay.

Skeleton will also feature a mixed team event for the first time in Winter Olympics history, while separate men's and women's doubles events will be held in luge, replacing the open doubles event.

Dual moguls will be added in freestyle skiing for both men and women, while women will get an additional individual large hill ski jumping event.

The alpine skiing mixed team parallel event has been removed. The men and women are set to compete at separate resorts.

Where is the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony?

The opening ceremony for the 2026 Winter Games will take place at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium - more commonly known as the San Siro -- the home of the AC Milan and Inter Milan soccer teams.

Where is the 2026 Winter Olympics closing ceremony?

The Arena of Verona, a Roman amphitheater in Verona, Italy, will host the closing ceremony.

How many times has Italy hosted the Winter Olympics?

The 2026 Winter Games will be the third held in Italy. The country also hosted the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics and the Cortina Winter Games in 1956.

What is the mascot of the 2026 Winter Olympics?

The official mascots of the 2026 Winter Games are Milo and Tina, brother and sister stoats. Their names come from the two featured cities -- Milo from Milan and Tina from Cortina. Tina is the mascot of the 2026 Winter Olympics, while Milo is the mascot of the 2026 Winter Paralympics.

What is the theme song of the 2026 Winter Olympics?

The official theme song of the 2026 Winter Games is "Fino all'alba," performed by Arisa. The song title translates to "Until Dawn."

Where are the 2028 Summer Olympics?

The 2028 Summer Games will be held in Los Angeles for the first time since 1984. It will mark the first time the Summer Games will take place in the United States since Atlanta served as host in 1996. Los Angeles also hosted the Olympics in 1932.

When are the 2028 Summer Olympics?

The 2028 Summer Games will be held from July 14-30, 2028. The 2028 Summer Paralympic Games will take place from Aug. 15-27.

How many athletes will compete in the 2028 Summer Olympics?

About 15,000 athletes are expected to compete in both the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and Paralympics, according to the organizing committee.

How many events will be held at the 2028 Summer Olympics?

The Los Angeles Summer Games will feature more than 3,000 hours of competition across more than 800 events in more than 50 sports in 80-plus venues.

What are some of the sports that will be at the 2028 Summer Olympics?

In addition to fan favorites such as gymnastics, swimming, athletics (track and field) and basketball, the IOC executive board has approved the addition of cricket, flag football, lacrosse, squash and baseball-softball to the event.

Carson, California, will host track cycling, field hockey, rugby sevens and tennis. The city's velodrome previously hosted track cycling at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Long Beach will be the site of rowing, canoe sprint, handball, marathon swimming, triathlon, sailing, artistic swimming, and water polo in a temporary pool in the convention center parking lot.

The Los Angeles Convention Center will host fencing, judo, table tennis, taekwondo and wrestling. Weightlifting will be held at a theater across the street.

Golf will be played at Riviera Country Club, while Badminton will take place at Galen Center on the University of Southern California campus.

Check out the ESPN Olympics hub page for the latest news, schedules, results, medal tracker and more.