15 December 2025 – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced the event programme and athlete quota for the Dolomiti Valtellina 2028 Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG). The programme introduces a shorter competition period of eight days with around 1,600 athletes – about 20 per cent fewer than at Gangwon 2024. This decision was approved by the IOC Executive Board (EB) last week.
KEY FACTS
- The International Olympic Committee today announced the event programme and athlete quota for the Dolomiti Valtellina 2028 Winter Youth Olympic Games.
- The programme introduces a shorter competition period of eight days with about 1,600 athletes in fewer competition venues (mainly those from the 2026 Winter Olympics), reducing operational and rental costs.
- The programme will include the seven core Winter Olympic sports (biathlon, bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, luge, skating and skiing) and eight new events, including synchronised skating, mixed singles luge, moguls, and rail events for freestyle skiing and snowboarding, while 15 events from Gangwon will no longer be on the programme.
The Games will be held across fewer competition venues, mainly using existing infrastructure from the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, thereby reducing operational and rental costs. The programme will cover the seven core Winter Olympic sports (biathlon, bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, luge, skating and skiing). No decision was taken on additional sports proposed by the Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (YOGOC) since the YOGOC has not yet been established. This decision will be taken in 2026, subject to alignment with the programme principles, particularly the use of existing venues and infrastructure.
Eight events are making their debut on the Winter YOG programme to further boost appeal and youth engagement, including synchronised skating, mixed singles luge, moguls, and rail events for freestyle skiing and snowboarding, while 15 events from Gangwon will no longer be on the programme.
The rail events, which were recently added to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) calendar, are geographically accessible and conducive to indoor training with minimal snow, and can be delivered cost effectively using existing slopestyle infrastructure.
“This programme represents an important step forward for the Winter YOG,” said Karl Stoss, IOC Member and Chair of the Olympic Programme Commission. “It reflects a clear commitment to sustainability, innovation and youth-focused sports formats. Most importantly, it ensures that Dolomiti Valtellina 2028 will offer young athletes a world-class experience aligned with their development needs and the facilities of the host region.”
The EB’s decision finalises the event programme and athlete quota, following a comprehensive review conducted in close collaboration with the relevant International Federations (IFs). The programme aims to deliver a high-quality, elite-level youth competition that reflects athlete development pathways and youth-specific formats. It also seeks to reduce the scale and operational complexity of the event to better suit its youth-focused nature and the local context, all with a continued commitment to full gender equality.
The approval of the event programme represents a significant step forward in the preparations for Dolomiti Valtellina 2028 and underlines the IOC’s ongoing commitment to finding cost efficiencies for the hosts.
DAKAR 2026
At its meeting last week, the IOC Executive Board also received an update on the Dakar 2026 YOG, which are now less than a year away. The Organising Committee recently marked the one-year-to-go milestone with the unveiling of its mascot Ayo, the launch of the OMEGA countdown clock and the Dakar en Jeux festival, which included a testing opportunity through an international futsal competition and a recent equestrian event.
With under a year remaining, the YOGOC has now entered the readiness phase, focusing on finalising venue refurbishments, operational planning and capacity building. It has also launched its volunteer recruitment campaign, Jambaar26, with applications open until 31 January.
