Ice hockey becomes biggest crowd-puller for 2026 Winter Olympics

Ice hockey has emerged as a major draw for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics and Paralympics as the game tops the list for the most sold tickets.

Nearly 1.2 million tickets have been sold so far and the figure represents around 75 percent of the total capacity for the Games.

Sports commentators have attributed the surge in interest in the game to the participation of players from North American NHL players for the first time since 2014.

Local organisers said on Monday that they were trying to get Milan's new Santagiulia ice hockey stadium ready in time for the Games.

The 2026 Winter Olympics, officially the XXV Winter Olympic Games and commonly known as Milano Cortina 2026, is scheduled to take place from February 6 to February 22, 2026, at sites across Lombardy and Northeast Italy.

This year’s events will feature 16 disciplines across 8 core sports, totaling 116 medal events. 

One of the most distinguishable features of the 2026 Winter Olympics will be the highest percentage of women's participation in history, at 47 percent.

Biathlon events in Antholz-Anterselva and cross-country skiing in Tesero are the next highest ticket sellers. The new Olympic sport of ski mountaineering in Bormio is already sold out.