U.S. announces 232-athlete team for Milan-Cortina Olympics, featuring Lindsey Vonn and other five-time Olympians

A large team for a spread-out Winter Games

The United States has released its roster for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, naming 232 athletes for the Games in Italy. According to the Associated Press, the opening ceremony is scheduled for February 6, 2026 in Milan, with some competition beginning February 4.

The AP noted that these Olympics will be unusually geographically dispersed, with Milan serving as a base for several major indoor events while mountain clusters host skiing, sliding sports, biathlon, snowboarding and the debut of ski mountaineering as an Olympic sport. The logistics reflect the scale of the event and the breadth of disciplines the U.S. will contest.

Seven Americans headed to a fifth Olympics

A headline feature of the roster is the presence of seven athletes making their fifth Olympic appearance, a milestone that speaks to longevity in elite winter sport. The AP reported that skier Lindsey Vonn is among them, along with bobsledders Kaillie Humphries and Elana Meyers Taylor, hockey player Hilary Knight, figure skater Evan Bates, and snowboarders Faye Thelen and Nick Baumgartner.

Meyers Taylor was described as leading a group of 33 returning medalists. The roster also includes other decorated names—such as Mikaela Shiffrin and Chloe Kim—underscoring the blend of proven champions and newer athletes moving into prominent roles.

Roster composition and age range

The team is nearly evenly split by gender, with 117 men and 115 women. The AP reported a wide age spread from a 15-year-old freeskier to a 54-year-old curler, reflecting how Winter Olympic sports can include both teen phenoms and athletes with decades of experience depending on the discipline.

For the U.S., releasing the roster is both a competitive signal and a marketing moment: it sets the narrative heading into February, highlights star power for televised events, and offers a first full look at how selection committees balanced current form, health, past results, and the depth of the American pipeline.

What to watch heading into February

With competition starting February 4, attention will now shift to final preparation, injury management, and discipline-specific expectations. Veteran-heavy teams can bring experience under pressure, while younger athletes often arrive with momentum and fewer scars. The roster suggests the U.S. is betting on both: established medal threats and new faces ready for the biggest stage.