Winter Olympics 2026 Distracts From Probe Into Ski Cartel

An athlete participates in Slopestyle Training before the start of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Livigno Snow Park in Livigno, Italy on Feb. 5.Photographer: Patrick Smith/Getty Images

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February 6, 2026 at 5:15 AM UTC

For a brief period at the Winter Olympics, top brands hustle in a bid to convince amateur skiers that they, like their idols, require the most advanced gear to succeed on the slopes.

At the 2026 Milano-Cortina games, which began in Italy this week, a group of the biggest equipment makers will be showcasing their latest kit under a bit of a cloud. Would-be champions, including Mikaela Shiffrin of the USA and Austria’s Raphael Haaser, will be clad in some labels at the center of an antitrust investigation.