Olympics 2026: behind the scenes at the biggest sporting event in the world

I was at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina with Samsung and filmed the trip to the biggest sporting event in the world with my Galaxy S25 Ultra. Samsung invited me on this trip. Here are the stops in order.

Arrival in Cortina

The start was bumpy: my first flight was canceled, I was rebooked at short notice, and my suitcase did not come along. At the end of the trip that would not have been a big deal, but at the beginning it was. That is why I quickly went shopping in Cortina to have the essentials for the first few days.

Women’s biathlon in Antholz

The first sporting event was the women’s biathlon in Antholz in the Dolomites. The venues are far apart, and we sat in the car for two hours, through the winter landscape in brilliant sunshine. I was impressed by how well the mountain village organized the logistics for so many people. Shuttles were ready for the last stretch to the stadium.

I am fascinated by how exuberant the atmosphere is at the Olympics. Everyone cheers for their own country, but everyone roots for all the athletes. You become a fan even without any connection to the sport. Germany was clearly ahead at times, and everyone held their breath when Franziska Preuß, who had already announced her retirement, stepped onto the mat for the last shooting. The last two shots did not hit, and France won.

In the evening we were allowed to visit the German House in Cortina. Filming was not allowed there because German athletes were also present. I find that understandable.

Trip to Milan and interview with Leon Vockensberger

The next day we went down to Milan in the middle of a snowstorm with snow chains, a five-hour car ride with a class trip atmosphere, and I still had no suitcase. In Milan I got to interview the snowboard pro Leon Vockensberger exclusively, who is also a real tech fan.

• AI in sports: He works with sports scientists and tries to get better on all levels, not just in strength training, for example through measurements on the board.
• Wearables: For snowboarding and strength training he rather wears the ring, and for endurance sports like cycling and running the Samsung Galaxy Watch. In his experience the same data comes out, and both are accurate. For him it is a matter of taste.
• Socks: Together with a partner, he developed socks that are reinforced in the places where they kept tearing, with compression. Behind this is pain he had on the mountain all his life when socks did not fit.
• Startup: He founded a tech startup that wants to make sports accessible, a kind of “Airbnb for sports equipment”. Private individuals and brands can list and rent out equipment. That lowers the barrier to entry, for example for families with four children who cannot buy everyone a road bike.
• Filming: Privately, he likes to film with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7. It films in 4K and even 8K.

Women’s figure skating

After that we went to the women’s figure skating. I am impressed by the athletes’ performance. When the American Liu came onto the ice, the arena shook after just a few seconds. I cannot judge whether she was better than all the others. What made all of us fans was the fun she visibly had in her sport. Her good mood flooded the entire stadium. Maybe that is the difference: not just being the best, but doing with enthusiasm what is close to your heart. Our group watched the medal ceremony to the end. In the evening my suitcase finally found its way to me, too.

Samsung House and ice hockey

The next day, in the best weather, we visited Samsung House in Milan. There I tried Samsung’s VR headset for the first time. In that moment I actually went skiing and saw the Dolomites from above. After a stop at the Olympic flame and a gelato, the men’s ice hockey semifinal between Canada and Finland followed. The atmosphere in the stadium was exuberant. I was fascinated by the camera technology that makes real-time broadcasting possible in such a fast game. Canada scored the decisive goal 35 seconds before the end and moved on to the final.

That was the last event for our group. The next day we headed home with lots of impressions. Thanks to Samsung for the invitation.