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
Corporate sponsors, sports officials discuss Milan operations and look ahead to domestic Games (Sports Business Journal, 2/18)
Mikaela Shiffrin Redefines Olympic Legacy with Slalom Gold (Time, 2/18)
Will Trump attend the Milan Cortina Olympics after all? (Deseret News, 2/17)
BUSINESS, MARKETING & SPONSORSHIP
Sponsors are becoming more visible at the Winter Olympics with product placement and arena shoutouts (AP News, 2/18)
Media companies must embrace the era of athletes as creators (Sports Business Journal, 2/18)
FANS, CONTENT & MEDIA
NBC’s East Coast afternoon windows for Milan Olympics still bringing hefty audience (Sports Business Journal, 2/17)
Team USA's Knight, Bowe get engaged at the Olympics (ESPN, 2/18)
SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
U.S. men's hockey outlasts Sweden in OT; Final four matchups set for Olympic tournament (NBCOlympics.com, 2/18)
Ogden, Schumacher grab silver for U.S. in Olympic cross-country team sprint, Diggins falls short (NPR, 2/18)
USA's Mac Forehand wins freeski big air silver in dramatic finish (Yahoo! Sports, 2/17)
FUTURE OF THE MOVEMENT
Brisbane 2032 Olympics land ‘AUS$200m’ Commonwealth Bank sponsorship (SportsPro, 2/17)
OSA Gametime Observations
Lollipops — a term generally for kids can be serious business in the Olympic Games. These handheld signs (preferably lit up) are used by commercial stakeholders (partners, media rights holders, NOCs, etc.) to have trained staff escort their various hospitality programs from transportation to their destination (primarily sporting events) and back.
Lollipops are an ever-present reminder that while strategy may establish the plan, operations is where the rubber meets the road. So, while the lollipops can be easily overlooked, they are often critical to seamless logistics on the ground.
A brand should never underestimate the importance of getting the right tools and talent to handle its critical needs, because an operational failure can be make or break in ensuring guests live out a once in a lifetime dream of attending the Olympics. And if your staff or tools are wrong for the job, it can create lasting damage to your program or brand.
Header Image: Olympic Victory Selfie, presented by Samsung; From left, silver medalist China's Eileen Gu, gold medalist Canada's Megan Oldham and bronze medalist Italy's Flora Tabanelli take a selfie after the women's freestyle skiing big air finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Monday, February 16, 2026. (AP Photo / Lindsey Wasso)