Find out where the 2030 Winter Olympics will take place

The most geographically expansive Winter Olympic Games in history are set to get underway, with competitions spread across multiple venues in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Athletes representing more than 90 nations will compete across 16 sporting disciplines, battling for a record 195 medals.

Events will include traditional Olympic favourites such as alpine skiing, ice hockey and figure skating, alongside modern additions like big air snowboarding. The programme will also feature ski mountaineering for the first time as an official Olympic sport, marking a significant expansion of the Winter Games roster.

Where Will The Next Winter Olympics Be Held?

Following the current Games, the Winter Olympics will move to France in 2030 — the first time the country has hosted the event in 38 years, since Albertville 1992. The 2030 edition will mark France’s fourth time staging the Winter Olympics.

The Games are scheduled to run from February 1 to February 17, 2030, with the Paralympic Winter Games set for March 1 to March 10, 2030. Although final logistical details remain under development, organisers have outlined a regional plan focused on four main zones across the French Alps.

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• Haute Savoie Zone: Cross-country skiing in La Clusaz, biathlon in Le Grand Bornand, plus an Olympic Village.

• Savoie Zone: Alpine skiing in Courchevel and Méribel, ski jumping and Nordic combined events, sliding sports in La Plagne, and Olympic Villages in Bozel and La Plagne.

• Briançon Zone: Freestyle skiing and snowboarding in Serre Chevalier and Montgenèvre, with an Olympic Village in Briançon.

• Nice Zone: Indoor ice events including ice hockey, figure skating, short track speed skating and curling, alongside the International Broadcast Centre, Main Press Centre and the Closing Ceremony.

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The venue for speed skating has not yet been finalised and may potentially be located outside France. The opening ceremony location is also still to be confirmed.

Why Are The Olympics Held Every Two Years?

Historically, the Winter and Summer Olympic Games were staged in the same year every four years throughout much of the 20th century. However, this structure changed in 1994 when the International Olympic Committee amended the Olympic Charter, separating the two competitions.

The shift began with the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, followed by the Summer Games in Atlanta in 1996. Since then, both the Summer and Winter Olympics have continued on separate four-year cycles but are staggered so that an Olympic event occurs every two years.

The four-year period between Olympic Games is known as an “Olympiad”, with the Summer Games typically held in the first year and the Winter Games in the third year of the cycle. While the Olympic schedule is generally consistent, there have been rare interruptions due to global events such as world wars and the COVID-19 pandemic.