Gamestime Intelligence from Onboard Sports Advisory
With Onboard Sports Advisory on the ground in Italy and colleagues across our global offices supporting in real time, OBE is closely tracking the most important, dynamic, and conversation-shaping stories emerging from the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games.
TOP HEADLINES
Jordan Stolz, Double Olympic Champion at 21, Could Already Be the Speedskating GOAT (Time, 2/14)
Sponsors show up in new ways for Milan Cortina while keeping an eye toward LA28 (SBJ, 2/13)
BUSINESS, MARKETING & SPONSORSHIP
Shredding Isn’t Just for Skiers at the Winter Olympics (NYT, 2/14)
The Hidden Government Funding of China’s American-Born Olympic Star (WSJ, 2/13)
FANS, CONTENT & MEDIA
Simone Biles Trades Gymnastics for Figure Skating as She Makes Surprise Appearance at Winter Olympics (People, 2/13)
NBC’s Winter Olympics TV Viewership Up 93% Through 5 Days (Front Office Sports, 2/12)
The Olympic item as rare as a medal itself (NBC, 2/12)
SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
Brazil’s first Winter Games gold is about much more than the medal (AP, 2/14)
Canada accused of cheating again in curling row (BBC, 2/14)
Lindsey Vonn has another surgery after Olympic crash, says she’s returning to U.S. (NYT, 2/14)
FUTURE OF THE MOVEMENT
A cathedral, a castle and a free ‘fan zone’: Salt Lake City’s mayor sees what Milan brings to the Olympics (Deseret, 2/14)
OSA Gametime Observations
For eagle-eyed fans, one trend that has ramped up for the Milano Cortina 2026 Games is the growing presence of commercial partner branding inside Olympic venues. Sponsor branding used to be restricted to a handful of very specific deliverables from Olympic delivery partners (e.g., Omega for timing, Panasonic for in-venue “jumbotrons”) — resulting in high-stakes FOMO for TOP and domestic partners. Paris 2024 heralded a slightly more open approach to sponsors showing up around competition (see Samsung’s Victory Selfie or LVMH’s custom medal trays).
Here in Milan, fans can see sponsors presenting more typical arena spectator experience fare: Enel’s “Strike a pose” (see image), TCL and its fan dance cam, even the “Corona Wave”. With this new wave of sponsor inclusion at the Olympics, be prepared for the continued rising tide at LA28.
Header Image Credit: Samsumg Electronics