After making its first Olympic appearance in the 1928 Winter Games in St. Moritz, Switzerland, skeleton became a permanent Olympic fixture with both men's and women's events in 2002. A new mixed team event will debut at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Here is everything to know about skeleton:
What is skeleton?
Skeleton is a sport where athletes race headfirst on a small sled down an icy track, controlling the sled with subtle shifts in their shoulders, knees and toes.
What are the rules?
Once the light turns green, racers have 30 seconds to begin their run.
For the men's and women's events, competitors complete four runs down the track. The athlete with the fastest combined time wins.
For the mixed team relay, each team consists of one man and one woman. Each athlete completes a single run, with the woman starting first and the man beginning immediately after. The team with the lowest combined time wins.
When are the skeleton events at the 2026 Winter Olympics?
Feb. 12, 2026
▪︎ Men's heats 1 and 2
Feb. 13, 2026
▪︎ Women's heats 1 and 2
▪︎ Men's heats 3 and 4
Feb. 14, 2026
▪︎ Women's heats 3 and 4
Feb. 15, 2026
▪︎ Mixed team relay (Olympic debut)
Where will the skeleton events be held at the Winter Olympics?
The skeleton events will take place at the Cortina Sliding Centre in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, the same location as the luge and bobsled competitions.
Who are the top skeleton performers?
The United States and Great Britain lead the way, with three Olympic gold medals apiece in skeleton. Britain leads the overall skeleton medal count with nine. Great Britain's Lizzy Yarnold is the only skeleton athlete with two Olympic gold medals, pacing the field in 2014 and again in 2018. At 29 years old, Yarnold announced her retirement from the competition following the 2018 PyeongChang Games.
Fun fact about the Olympic skeleton competition
The skeleton track at the 2022 Beijing Olympics featured the first 180-degree turn in the history of the Winter Games.
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