Imagine going down an ice tube, face down on a sled, at speeds that defy the laws of physics, with fast straights and hair-raising curves.
This is skeleton, one of the oldest winter sports. In the last century, it was featured in two Winter Games, St. Moritz 1928 and St. Moritz 1948, the birthplace of the sport. It only became an integral part of the Olympic programme in Salt Lake City 2002, in both the women’s and men’s events.
Throughout history, Great Britain and the United States have been the nations that have climbed the most onto the Olympic podium in this sport. However, Germanywon gold in both the men’s and women’s events in Beijing 2022, as well as silver among the men. This prominence continues to this day. Current Olympic champions Christopher Grotheer (GER) and Hannah Neise (GER) had a good start at the 2024/2025 IBSF (International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation) World Cup season.
The skeleton at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 will have the men’sand women’s events and, for the first time, a third one: the mixed teams event. All action and excitement of the sport will take place at the Cortina Sliding Centre in Cortina D’Ampezzo.
Find out everything you need to know about the skeleton Olympic classification system, including the number of athletes in each event and key dates.