Is There a Home Olympic Advantage?

Day 13: Italy is chasing its best Winter Games ever

Feb 18, 2026

If you are watching the Olympics (and I’m going to assume you are) you have probably noticed that the host country is doing very well. Italy has a proud Olympic tradition, having competed in every Games (technically Italy didn’t participate in Pari 1904, but an Italian did), and winning 799 medals coming into 2026. But this winter is something different. Despite twice hosting the Winter Games before, Italy has already won 24 medals on home snow and ice. That’s as many as they won in total from 1948 through 1976; it’s nearly double their combined total from their previous times hosting in winter (Cortina d’Ampezzo 1956 and Turin 2006).

All of this begs the question, is there such a thing as Olympic Home Field Advantage? Athletes and coaches will tell you it’s real. They point to the huge fan support, the proximity to home, and especially the familiarity with the facilities. Academics will tell you it’s more complicated. While host countries often outperform, they also usually have more athletes. Host countries are also wealthy. Hosting the Games isn’t cheap, and when controlling for socioeconomic factors like GDP, there’s no actual home advantage.

However, there is one Olympics where the home field advantage is beyond a doubt though, Melbourne 1956. The first Games in the Southern Hemisphere created unique circumstances for the green and gold team. The games were held in northern winter, the distance made travel strenuous, and Cold War geopolitics caused several countries to boycott. The Czech and Soviet teams endured a month-long journey home via boat and train - not your ideal Olympic recovery. Now with less than a week to go of Milan Cortina 2026, and Italy currently 2nd on the medal table and eyeing their highest potential finish ever, whether Olympic Home Field Advantage is real or not probably doesn’t matter to the Italians.

What To Watch Today

(All times Eastern. Full event replays available on-demand on Peacock)

Team USA takes on Sweden and Canada faces Czechia in Men’s Ice Hockey playoffs. Bad weather Tuesday means Men’s and Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Finals today. The final Alpine Skiing medals in Women’s Slalom.

3:05 am - Curling: Women’s Round Robin (4 matches) 🇺🇸
4:00 am - Alpine Skiing: Women’s Slalom 🥇 🇺🇸
5:20 am - Snowboarding: Men’s Slopestyle Finals 🥇 🇺🇸
5:30 am - Freestyle Skiing: Women’s Aerials Finals 🥇 🇺🇸
5:45 am - Cross-Country Skiing: Women’s Team Sprint Free Final 🥇
6:15 am - Cross-Country Skiing: Men’s Team Sprint Free Final 🥇
7:00 am - Freestyle Skiing: Women’s Aerials Finals 🥇 🇺🇸
8:05 am - Curling: Men’s Round Robin (4 matches) 🇺🇸
8:30 am - Snowboarding: Women’s Slopestyle Finals
8:45 am - Biathlon: Women’s 4x6km Relay 🥇 🇺🇸
2:15 pm - Short Track Speed Skating: Men’s 500m Quarters/Semis/Finals 🥇 🇺🇸
2:50 pm - Short Track Speed Skating: Women’s 3000m Relay Finals 🥇