
Get out your diaries! The year 2025 is open and promises to be rich on the Olympic planet, with the Milan-Cortina 2026 Games in focus. To start this new vintage off right, FrancsJeux presents the main highlights of the next twelve months.
- The 365 Winter Olympics D-2026
“It’s the final countdown!” » The date of 6 February will mark the start of the final countdown to the Milan-Cortina 2026 Games, exactly one year before the Opening Ceremony. Italy and the Olympic world will mark the occasion with a series of activities, in Milan and in the various cities that will host the events. The first tickets will go on sale on the same day. Attention latecomers: access to this first phase of sales will be reserved for those who have registered registered on the official website before January 15th. The test events, will continue in the coming weeks: the best skiers on the planet will take their marks in Cortina on January 18 and 19, while the biathletes will be at the Antholz-Anterselva site from January 23 to 26. We will have to wait a little longer to follow the traditional route of the Olympic flame, which will begin its journey in April.
- Election of the IOC President
A page in the Olympic movement will turn in March with the end of the mandate of Thomas Bach, who has been at the head of the IOC since 2013. His successor will be elected in Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, at the 144th IOC session, scheduled for 19-21 March. Seven candidates are on the starting line: Prince Feisal Al Hussein, David Lappartient, Sebastian Coe, Kirsty Coventry, Johan Eliasch, Juan Antonio Samaranch and Morinari Watanabe. They will present their programmes to the IOC members at a closed-door meeting on 30 January in Lausanne (Switzerland). Which vision will be judged the most convincing? The world of sport is waiting to be told what course the IOC will follow for the next eight years. Or perhaps four if the lucky winner is Sebastian Coe and his election reform is being put in place.
- First edition of the eSport Olympics
The first eSports Olympics will be held later this year in Saudi Arabia. The exact date has yet to be determined, but the creation of the event, unanimously approved last year at the 142nd IOC session, marks an important step in the integration of eSports into the Olympic movement. Discussions are underway to determine which games will be included in the competition, with titles such as League of Legends and Rocket League being considered. "This is truly a new era that is opening for the IOC, commented Thomas Bach last July. With the confirmation of the creation of the eSports Olympics, we are keeping pace with the digital revolution.” In 2023, the Olympic eSports Week brought together more than 130 players in Singapore across ten mixed events. "The event generated over 6 million live action views across all channels, 75% of which came from people aged 13 to 34", the IOC was pleased to say, always keen to reach out to a young audience.
- World Conference on Doping in Sport
The year 2025 marks the return to the agenda of the World Conference on Doping in Sport. Organized by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), its main objective is to strengthen the fight against doping by bringing together key players from sport, science, governments and anti-doping organizations. The last edition dates back to 2019. It was during this conference that the revised version of the 2021 World Anti-Doping Code and associated international standards was adopted. All stakeholders involved in the fight against doping will meet in Busan (South Korea), from December 1 to 5. Among the topics that will be on the table: the application of anti-doping policies since the implementation of the 2021 World Anti-Doping Code, the strengthening of international cooperation and scientific advances. The conference may eventually lead to a revision or update of the World Anti-Doping Code based on its conclusions.
- Validation of sports on the 2030 Winter Games programme
The 2026 Winter Games are not yet here, but the 2030 edition is slowly starting to take shape. The programme of sports that will be represented in the French Alps will be set at the end of the year, during the meeting of the IOC Executive Board. The body defined the criteria that will be binding last month. Among them, cost limitation, promotion of gender equality, attraction of new audiences and athletes, and environmental sustainability. Will ski mountaineering be renewed? Will freeride, speed skiing or cyclo-cross make their debut on the Olympic stage? The challenge is well known: modernize the Games and reflect current trends in winter sports, while respecting the Olympic values. "In addition to the seven sports on the initial sports programme that were approved at the 142nd IOC Session in Paris, the Host Organising Committee (OCOG) has the possibility to propose additional new sports to be included in the programme", recalls the international body. The COJOP of the French Alps 2030 has not yet been formed, but the name of the former biathlete Martin Fourcade is persistently coming up to take over as president.