Winter Olympics 2026: Only Few Competitors Home With Medals

With around 2,900 athletes expected to compete across 116 events at this quadrennial showcase, only a small portion of them will return home with medals. The distribution of awards from past Olympics provides some insight into which countries and individuals are most likely to dominate in Milano Cortina.

At the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, Norway led the medal count with an impressive haul of 37, including 16 gold medals, followed closely by the ROC (Russian Olympic Committee), Germany, Canada, and the United States.

The U.S., which dominated at the most recent Summer Olympics in Paris in 2024, won a staggering 126 medals overall. This included 40 gold medals, second only to China’s impressive haul of 158. The British, French, and Chinese teams completed the top five.

While the International Olympic Committee does not compile medal rankings, the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage maintains an extensive record. With one medal counted per event regardless of team size, it places the U.S. at the top with a total of 3,103 medals since its inception in 1960.

The Soviet Union, which disintegrated into independent nations after 1991, follows closely with 1,204 total medals. Germany, with a history that sometimes included East and West teams competing separately, takes third place with 1,091 medals.

Phelps holds the record for most Olympic medals overall, boasting an impressive tally of 23 golds across five Games, three silvers, and two bronzes. Female Olympians’ dominance is represented by former Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, who won 18 total medals: nine of them were gold.

Norway’s Marit Bjørgen stands out in winter sports, with her eight golds across a single Games earning her the title of most decorated winter Olympic athlete. Ole Einar Bjørndalen also holds significant history, amassing 14 golds and numerous other medals throughout his career.

American speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno is another notable figure; he has clinched eight medals spread across three Winter Olympics.

This time around in Milano Cortina, the U.S., Norway, Germany, will vie for supremacy, with each hoping to secure more than their fair share of golds and silver metals.