The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February in Turin, Italy. This marked the second time Italy had hosted the Winter Olympics, the first being in 1956 in Cortina d'Ampezzo; Italy had also hosted the Summer Olympics in 1960 in Rome.
Sestriere is a ski resort in Piedmont, Italy, a comune (municipality) of the Metropolitan City of Turin. It is situated in Val Susa, 17 km (11 mi) from the French border. Its name derives from Latin: ad petram sistrariam, that is at sixty Roman miles from Turin.
Alpine skiing at the 2006 Winter Olympics consisted of ten events, held at Sestriere and Cesana-San Sicario, Italy. The races were held 12–25 February 2006.
The Via Lattea is a winter sports area in the Italian and French Alps, straddling the French-Italian border at Claviere/Montgenèvre. Located some 70 km west of Turin, it comprises the five Piedmontese resorts of Claviere (1760m), Sansicario (1700m), Sauze d'Oulx (1509m), Pragelato (1524m) and Sestriere (2035m) and additionally the French resort Montgenèvre (1860m). Altogether there are more than 400 km of skiable pistes, 120 of them with artificial snow, and 70 lifts. The lowest lift begins at 1370m in the service village of Cesana Torinese; the highest point is Mont Motta in the Sestriere ski area, at 2800m. Claviere and Montgenèvre are connected by skiing and ski lifts. The 2006 Winter Olympics had the alpine ski events in the Via Lattea , on Sestriere and Sansicario slopes and most other snow events and bobsleigh nearby. The 2030 Winter Olympics will have alpine ski events on the French side.
The Men's 10 kilometre sprint biathlon competition at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy was held on 14 February, at Cesana San Sicario. Competitors raced over three loops of the 3.3 kilometre skiing course, shooting ten times, five prone and five standing. Each miss required a competitor to ski a 150-metre penalty loop.
Cesana San Sicario, located in Cesana, Italy was a location of a venue for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. The biathlon facility is built for 6,500 spectators.
San Sicario Fraiteve is a venue built for the 2006 Winter Olympic. It seated 6,160 spectators, including 5,660 seated and 500 standing, for the women's alpine skiing downhill, super-G, and combined. The course has an overall length of 3.135 km (1.948 mi).
Pragelato is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 60 kilometres (37 mi) west of Turin, in the upper Val Chisone. The name Pragelato, meaning "icy meadow", has been derived from the harsh climate and the fact that the ground is covered with ice for long periods. On both sides of the Chisone, extensive forests of pine and larch provide protection from the avalanches which are a common occurrence in the winter season: for this reason in the nineteenth century the people of Pragelato were only permitted to fell trees close to the mountain summits, and even then only with the permission of the communal administration.
Sauze d'Oulx is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont located 80 km from Turin in the Val di Susa, at the foot of Monte Genevris.
Turin Airport, also known as Turin-Caselle Airport, is an international airport located at Caselle Torinese, 16 km (9.9 mi) north-northwest of the city of Turin, in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont region, Northern Italy. It is also named Sandro Pertini Airport, after former Italian President Sandro Pertini.
Cesana Torinese is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 70 kilometres (43 mi) west of Turin, on the border with France. Cesana is a popular winter ski resort, being connected to both Sansicario/Sestriere and Claviere/Montgenevre via chairlifts and gondolas. A run connecting Sagnalonga Monti della luna to Cesana is currently being renovated and will be open from 2022. During the summer, Cesana is a popular holiday destination, famous for its many trekking and alpine lakes in the neighbouring areas.
Torino Olympic Park is a group of parks that was created to manage all of the venue and facilities used and built for the 2006 Winter Olympics held in Turin, Italy, and facilities surrounding the Turin region.
The Men's 12.5 kilometre biathlon pursuit competition at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy was held on 18 February, at Cesana San Sicario. Competitors raced over five loops of a 2.5 kilometre skiing course, shooting twenty times, ten prone and ten standing. Each miss required a competitor to ski a 150-metre penalty loop.
The Men's 15 kilometre biathlon mass start competition at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy was held on 25 February, at Cesana San Sicario. Competitors raced over five loops of a 3.0 kilometre skiing course, shooting twenty times, ten prone and ten standing. Each miss required a competitor to ski a 150-metre penalty loop.
The Men's 4 x 7.5 kilometre biathlon relay competition at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy was held on 21 February, at Cesana San Sicario. Each national team consisted of four members, with each skiing 7.5 kilometres and shooting twice, once prone and once standing.
The Women's 7.5 kilometre sprint biathlon competition at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy was held on 16 February, at Cesana San Sicario. Competitors raced over three loops of a 2.5 kilometre skiing course, shooting ten times, five prone and five standing. Each miss required a competitor to ski a 150-metre penalty loop.
The Women's 12.5 kilometre biathlon mass start competition at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy was held on 25 February, at Cesana San Sicario. Competitors raced over five loops of a 2.5 kilometre skiing course, shooting twenty times, ten prone and ten standing. Each miss required a competitor to ski a 150-metre penalty loop.
The Women's 4 x 6 kilometre biathlon relay competition at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy was held on 23 February, at Cesana San Sicario. Each national team consisted of four members, with each skiing 6 kilometres and shooting twice, once prone and once standing.
For the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, a total of fifteen sports venues were used. Venue construction ran from 2002 to 2005. Cesana Pariol had to have turns 17 and 18 modified following the Luge World Cup in January 2005, but they were not cleared out until October 2005. Winds postponed the Nordic combined team event for a day. Many of the venues served as host for the Winter Universidade the following year.
The 2026 Winter Olympics, officially the XXV Olympic Winter Games and also known as Milano-Cortina 2026, is an upcoming international multi-sport event scheduled to take place from 6 to 22 February 2026 in three regions, with the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo as main hosts.
