Watch: Olympics 2026: Meet the Team USA Athletes Going for Gold in the Milan Cortina Winter GamesCompeting in the Winter Olympics is snow joke. Aside from the sheer athleticism, years of training, fierce competition and frigid temperatures, there is a lot of behind-the-scenes action that'll make your head spin faster than a figure skater on ice. So naturally, it's understandable why viewers tuning in to this year's Winter Games-dubbed Milano Cortina 2026-may have more than a few questions about the sporting event. For example, why are the 2026 Olympics it called Milano Cortina-unlike it's one-city predecessors Beijing 2022, PyeongChang 2018, Sochi 2014 and Vancouver 2010? Well, that's because the Games are being host by two different cities for the first time in Olympic history. Back in 2018, Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo in Northern Italy entered a joint bid to co-host the event. The unprecedented move ultimately beat out another bid from Sweden for the Games to be set in Stockholm and Åre, a municipality in the Scandinavian country. Still have questions about the Winter Olympics? Read on.readAre There Cardboard Beds at the 2026 Olympic Villages? The TruthWhy do Olympians bite their medals when they win? Historically, traders and merchants bit into gold to test its authenticity, as the pure form of the precious metal is actually quite soft and malleable. But these days, Olympians bite into their medals simply for show. After all, most Olympic medals are actually 92.5 percent silver, with the gold plated in at least 6 grams of the metal. Meanwhile, the bronze medal is largely comprised of copper. That's likely why German luger David Möller chipped his tooth while biting into his silver medal at Vancouver 2020. " It wasn't too bad and it didn't hurt," he told German newspaper Bild at the time, "but it is annoying when you can't smile as you normally do." What do the colors of the Olympic rings represent? According to the Olympic Charter, the five rings represent "the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from throughout the world." As for why blue, yellow, black, green and red rings were chosen? At least one of those colors, as well as the white background the logo sits on, is featured on every national flag on Earth.
Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP via Getty ImagesHow do Olympic athletes from warm countries train for the Winter Games? As depicted by the Jamaican national bobsleigh team in Cool Runnings, it's not easy training for the Winter Olympics in a tropical climate. That's why it's common for athletes to relocate to place where ice and snow is readily available, though many make do with what they have. Take Pita Taufatofua, the Tongan Olympian whose greased-up abs went viral during the 2016 Summer Olympics' opening ceremony. When he pivoted from taekwondo to freestyle skiing for the 2018 Winter Games, he trained on roller skis. Malaysian figure skater Julian Yee also had to train outside of the box, practicing at a shopping mall's ice rink during off-hours before finally having the funds to move abroad. "There are so many obstacles, but as long as you put your mind to it, you can find a way," he said in a 2018 Olympics profile. "If you go for it a little bit more, keep pushing and make it over that hill, you'll see the sunrise right after that."David Ramos/Getty ImagesDo athletes hook up at the Olympic Village? In short: Yes, there have been instances of sexy encounters between athletes. However, most Olympians say their head is in the Games, not bedroom activities. As figure skating gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi, who competed in the 1992 Olympics, previously told E! News, "I was zoned in and focused all the way to the end." How much do Olympic figure skating costumes cost? Figure skaters shell out big bucks for impressionable costumes. According to designer Lisa McKinnon, who's worked with former Team USA skaters Alexa Knierim and Chris Knierim, her pieces range from $1,500 to $5,000-depending on how many crystals are used. "Every skater wants to stand out in some way or another, and sometimes the sparkle aspect definitely makes you more eye catching when you step onto the ice," she told The Cut in 2018. "The ice is huge and it's very white, and you can sort of disappear a little bit." Plus, there's the intensive labor involved in sewing and gluing all the gems onto the fabric. After all, as McKinnon noted, skaters can actually get a deduction in their score for anything that falls off their costume during their routine.
Alex Pantling/Getty ImagesHow do Olympic skiers pee when they're on the mountain? Between the skin-tight suits and the remote location, Olympic skiers have a difficult time using the restroom when nature calls. That's why it's crucial for them to time exactly when they drink before a big race, with the average being 8 to 16 ounces of electrolyte-infused water per hour to balance fluid loss without needing "comfort breaks." Still, there are some skiers who choose to go with the