FIS Council Celebrates Record Olympic Success, Looks Ahead to Paralympic Winter Games

Feb 26, 2026·Inside FIS

The FIS Council met on Wednesday, 25 February, to review the historic achievements of FIS disciplines at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 and to prepare for the upcoming Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

FIS events once again took center stage, accounting for nearly half of all medals awarded at the Games, in what is being hailed as the most successful Olympic Winter Games ever staged.

These Games were a defining moment for FIS and snow sports – a celebration of excellence, unity, and innovation, and a reflection of years of our investment in global participation and grassroots development.– Johan Eliasch, FIS President

“They showed the world what our athletes, National Ski Associations, and the entire snow sport community can achieve together. From the slopes of Milan and Cortina to the newest nations joining our competitions, these Games embodied the universality and emotional power of snow sport. They remind us that FIS is not only the largest federation in the Olympic Winter Games – we are a family that continues to grow, inspire, and lead the way toward a more inclusive, sustainable, and global future for winter sport.”

A record 89 National Olympic Committees competed in FIS events – 10 more than at Beijing 2022 – including debut appearances from Benin and the United Arab Emirates, underscoring snow sport’s expanding global reach.

“I LOVE SNOW”: A Unified Olympic Campaign

During Milano Cortina 2026, FIS launched its global brand platform I LOVE SNOW, a storytelling initiative celebrating the emotion, authenticity, and shared spirit of snow sport.

At its core was REAL TALK, a daily athlete-hosted live show on FIS TV and YouTube. The wider campaign spanned more than 70 editorial features, multiple podcasts, newsletters, and interactive formats, connecting fans with the human side of snow sport and strengthening year-round engagement.

Unprecedented Global Reach

FIS achieved record-breaking digital engagement during the Games. As of 18 February, some of the reported highlights include:

Over 600 million reach and 14 million engagements on FIS social channels
4,700 posts and 188,000 new followers
33% increase in active users on fis-ski.com and +26.7% engagement time on the FIS App
2.07 billion reach and 54.5 million engagements since October 2025

Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski dominated online interaction, with seven of the ten most engaging Olympic posts coming from these disciplines. Nordic Combined achieved gender balance in its digital audience, while non-traditional markets such as Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, and Brazil – the latter boosted by Lucas Pinheiro Braathen’s historic gold medal – recorded exceptional growth.

Next Stop: Paralympic Winter Games

From 6–15 March, the Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 will see FIS-governed sports account for 80% of all medals awarded, with a record 54 nations expected to participate, including debutants El Salvador, Haiti, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Portugal.

Update on AIN Program

The FIS Council also reviewed the implementation of the Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) program following the 2026 Games. In compliance with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decision, FIS continues to apply the AIN framework for able-bodied events, while Para athletes of Belarusian or Russian sporting nationality may compete under International Paralympic Committee (IPC) recommendations, without the AIN designation.