2026 Winter Olympics: Arizona athletes to know
Everything you need to know about the 2026 Winter Olympics, including Arizona athletes to watch and a look at the state’s rich Olympic history.
Arizona is no stranger to grandeur. Between the great trails, magnificent shopping, Grand Canyon, idyllic golf courses, iconic baseball Spring training, and regal resorts, it’s hard to find a state that checks so many boxes. But it’s not just what’s in Arizona that makes it so special; it’s also who is in Arizona. The state has been home to Wild West icons like Wyatt Earp, celebrities like Emma Stone, Stevie Nicks, and Alice Cooper, and, unsurprisingly, a number of Olympians, including one who’s competing in the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics.
Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics, a native athlete to cheer on, and a shout-out to a number of Arizonian Olympians of the past.
What to know about the 2026 Winter Olympics
Let’s start with the basics: How often do the Winter Olympics even happen? If you’re anything like me, the Paris Olympics felt like they were just yesterday. And while they weren’t just yesterday, they also weren’t four years ago, which is a common misconception. While the Winter Olympics occur every four years, and the Summer Olympics won’t happen for another two, the Olympics actually take place every two years, alternating between summer and winter.
This year, the 2026 Winter Olympics will take place from February 6 through February 22 at sites across northeast Italy, specifically Milan and Cortina. The Games will span eight locations: Anterselva/Antholz, Bormio, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Livigno, Milan, Predazzo, Tesero, and Verona. These Olympics are set to be the most geographically widespread in history, with the two main host sites roughly 250 miles apart. The geographical spread allows the Games to utilize preexisting venues, reducing the need for new construction and ultimately reducing the Games’ carbon footprint (yay for the environment!).
There will be a total of 15 winter sports to watch, including Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Bobsleigh, Cross-Country Skiing, Curling, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey, Luge, Nordic Combined, Skeleton, Ski Jumping, Ski Mountaineering, Snowboarding, and Speed Skating.
Unless you’re one of the lucky ones who scored tickets to the 2026 Olympics, you’re probably wondering where you can catch all the action. If you’re planning to watch from home, you can stream the Games on Peacock. And if you’re looking for company, check out your favorite sports bar or keep an eye out for local watch parties, like those at places such as the Casual Pint.
One Arizona athlete is headed to the 2026 Olympics
Auston Matthews
When you think of the Arizona desert, you’re probably not thinking about ice hockey. Yet Scottsdale raised an international standout and Team USA hockey player: Auston Matthews. Growing up attending Arizona Coyotes games, Auston developed a deep love for the sport. And following years of hard work and commitment, he became the first U.S.-born player to captain the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2024. He’s known as one of the league’s most dominant goal scorers and has been awarded the Calder Trophy, the Hart Trophy, and the Ted Lindsay Award. Despite growing up in the desert, considered a non-traditional hockey market, Auston is nothing short of a hockey star.
Men’s ice hockey begins on 2/11, with Team USA taking on Latvia on 2/12 at 1 p.m. MST.
Arizona Winter Olympians of the past
Who doesn’t love a good blast from the past? Even though Arizona only has one athlete competing in the Winter Olympics this year, there are plenty of former Olympians from the Grand Canyon State.
Lyndsey Fry
Lyndsey Fry competed in ice hockey at the 2014 Winter Olympics, where she won a silver medal. Growing up in Chandler, Arizona, Lyndsey fell in love with hockey at just five years old. Despite being one of only 20 girls in the entire state playing the sport, Fry was dedicated to becoming a hockey player. Up until high school, she played on boys’ teams before switching to a girls’ team in Colorado. She went on to play at Harvard University before competing in the Olympics. Today, Fry advocates for greater female inclusion in the NHL and runs her own business, Lyndsey Fry Hockey, where she hosts hockey camps for girls.
Matt Antoine
Phoenix resident Matt Antoine is one of the most decorated skeleton racers of all time, which is ironic, considering he was kicked out of his first skeleton camp as a teenager. But like all great athletes, he didn’t let that setback define him. Antoine went on to win a bronze medal at the 2014 Olympics, then competed again in 2018, finishing 11th before retiring from competition.
Broc Little
Born and raised in Phoenix, Broc Little is another Arizona ice hockey star. He competed in the 2018 Olympic Games, finishing seventh overall. Before making it to the Olympics, Broc played college hockey at Yale University and later took his game overseas, playing professionally for Linköping HC in the Swedish Hockey League.
Chris and Alexa Knierim
Talk about a power couple. Tucson native Chris and Alexa Knierim are not only meant-to-be partners on the ice, but also partners in life. After beginning to skate together in 2012, they took it one step further and married in 2016. Together, they won a bronze medal at the 2018 Olympics. Chris retired from the sport in 2020, but Alexa went on to win a gold medal at the 2022 Games in Beijing with partner Brandon Frazier (also an Arizona native!). Most recently, the Knierims welcomed their first baby in July 2025. Another Olympian in the making?
Josh Sweeney
Glendale native Josh Sweeney is a two-time Paralympian and one-time gold medalist (2014). He won gold in sled hockey at the 2014 Games and returned to the Olympics in 2018 to compete in Para Nordic skiing. Perhaps even more impressive is the Purple Heart he received for his service as a Marine Corps sergeant. Josh became a bilateral amputee after stepping on an improvised explosive device while serving in Nowzad, Afghanistan, in October 2009. Today, Josh is an advocate for adaptive sports and injured veterans and continues to inspire people every day.
Elana Meyers-Taylor
Although not an Arizona native, Elana Meyers-Taylor trained for the Olympics in Arizona—and we don’t want to take all the credit, but is it really a coincidence that training in Arizona led to Olympic medals? A four-time Olympian and five-time medalist in monobob and two-woman bobsled, Elana is the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Olympic history. Today, she’s a mom of two and an advocate for children with disabilities, working with various Down syndrome organizations.
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.
