EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:

The countdown is on for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

The torch relay is well underway and some of the top athletes are already making headlines. There are 16 sports in all, including some never seen before, and 116 gold medals are waiting to be awarded when competition begins in less than a month.

This will be the most spread-out Winter Games in history: The two primary competition sites are the city of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, the winter resort in the Dolomites that is more than 400 kilometers (250 miles) away by road. Athletes also will compete in three other mountain clusters besides Cortina, while the closing ceremony will be in Verona, 160 km (100 miles) east of Milan.

Below we link to spreadsheets that list qualifying athletes so far and their ties to cities and states across the country.

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READ AND FOLLOW AP'S OLYMPIC COVERAGE

Winter Olympics 2026 guide: All you need to know about the Milan Cortina Games

AP coverage advisory: 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy

2026 Winter Olympics Daily Schedule

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Some recent stories ( Find all coverage here in Newsroom ):

US names 232-athlete roster for Milan Cortina Olympics, led by five-timers including Vonn, Humphries

A safe space: How figure skating became a comfort zone for the LGBTQ+ community amid perilous times

In the rehearsal tent: Here’s what makes the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics opening ceremony special

Injury questions linger for many top men’s hockey teams at the Milan Olympics

Italian expert’s manufactured snow will play big role at the Milan Cortina Games

Olympic flame glides on traditional Venetian boats down the Grand Canal

Laila Edwards enjoys homecoming; prepares to make Olympic debut as USA Hockey’s first Black female

‘Heated Rivalry’ stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie to be torchbearers for Winter Olympics

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FIND YOUR STATE: ATHLETES WITH TIES AROUND THE US

This spreadsheet includes Olympic and Paralympic athletes, their hometowns and where they attended school.

The following states represented in the spreadsheets above include:

Alaska

Arizona

California

Colorado

Connecticut

District of Columbia

Florida

Georgia

Idaho

Illinois

Iowa

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Missouri

Montana

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New York

North Dakota

Ohio

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

Wisconsin

Wyoming

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SOME OF AP'S PREVIOUS

Teen triplets who represent Jamaica send one to race at Olympics, two to cheer as sisters fall short

Jadin O’Brien’s rapid rise is complete. The track star is now a US Olympic bobsledder

Ice dancer Allison Reed returns to Olympics after 16 years, skating for Lithuania

Has figure skating reached the limits of human performance?

Ukraine’s young skiers practice in a bombed-out Olympic training base

Diversity still a major issue at the Winter Olympics. The US is making some strides

How will climate change reshape the Winter Olympics? The list of possible host sites is shrinking

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Localize It is a resource produced regularly by The Associated Press for its customers’ use. Questions can be directed to the Local News Success team at localizeit@ap.org. View guides published in the last 30 days here.