One Less Medal Opportunity for the 2026 Olympic Games
Photo: GEPA pictures
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided to eliminate the parallel mixed team event from the 2026 Milan Olympics. Notably, the team parallel may not be the only alpine event to be excluded from the next Winter Games. The IOC is also examining the future of the alpine combined. Consequently, within the next 10 months, the IOC will decide whether or not to include the event in the 2026 Winter Olympic program.
Olympic athletes respond
Paula Moltzan is among the athletes that have expressed disappointment regarding the decision to skip the team event in the 2026 Olympics.
Moltzan reported to Ski Magazine that she was “extremely bummed to see the team event left out of the 2026 Olympics.”
“It is a fun and exciting event to compete in,” she said to Ski Magazine via email. “I also think it is a more viewer-friendly event to watch (you can immediately tell who won or lost a heat). All of my friends and family said it was their favorite event to watch during the Olympic coverage.”
Disappointed, USST Chief of Sport Anouk Patty managed to find a silver lining when speaking with Ski Racing Media. She said, “It’s always disappointing to lose a medal opportunity, but in looking across all of our sports, we’re excited dual moguls and women’s large hill ski jumping were added to the 2026 Olympics. Furthermore, we are continuing to work with FIS to identify new alpine opportunities for the Olympics.”
Evidently many viewers have expressed that the team event is one of the most straightforward Olympic alpine events to understand. Due to its side-by-side format, it is entertaining and requires less ski racing knowledge to appreciate.
River Radamus backed this view, telling Ski Magazine that the format of the event “has the ability to engage the uninitiated viewer better than any alpine event.”
Stay tuned in the coming months for more announcements from the IOC.
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