The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan have officially come to a close, marking a triumph for members of the LGBTQIA+ community. The athletes are returning home with a record number of medals, having achieved outstanding results in a wide variety of disciplines.
Record Participation and Medal Statistics At least the following competed in these Games 49 Open athletes (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer people), which is an all-time record for the Winter Olympics. According to Outsports, a total of 19 athletes in the open division won medals, having won 11 medals: 5 gold, 2 silver, and 4 bronze. This is the highest number of medals ever won by LGBT athletes in the history of their participation in the Winter Games.
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The most inclusive sport is women's hockey, in which 23 open-category players participated.
Historical Achievements
The performances of several athletes drew particular attention:
Amber Glenn (United States) made history as the first openly LGBT female figure skater in the women's singles event at the Winter Olympics and won Gold Medal.
Alice Lundholm (Sweden), who competed in moguls, became the first openly transgender athlete in the history of the Winter Olympics.
Olympic Heroes: Medal Tally
The medal tally for open-division athletes was as follows:
Gold
◦ Hillary Knight (United States) — hockey;
◦ Brize Johnson (United States) — alpine skiing;
◦ Amber Glenn (United States) — figure skating;
◦ Guillaume Cizeron (France) — figure skating;
◦ Matilda Gremo (Switzerland), who defeated Eileen Gu in the women's slopestyle (freestyle).
Silver
◦ Canada's Women's National Hockey Team, which includes many queer players;
◦ Bruce Mowat (United Kingdom) — curling.
Bronze
◦ Sandra Neslund (Sweden) — ski cross (freestyle);
◦ Laura Zimmerman (Switzerland) — hockey;
◦ Tineke den Dulk (Belgium) — short track;
◦ Paul Poirier (Canada) — figure skating.
Personal Milestones and Engagement
In addition to the athletic achievements, the Games will be remembered for a touching moment in the athletes’ personal lives. The captain of the U.S. women’s hockey team Hillary Knight and a speed skater Brittany Bow обручились прямо во время мероприятия. Видео, на котором Найт встает на одно колено, было опубликовано в Instagram с подписью: «Олимпиада свела нас вместе. Эта [Олимпиада] сделала нас вечными».
Other Events at the Games
The Olympics' news coverage also mentioned the introduction of new rules regarding increased protection of the groin area (crotch enlarging) and the participation of stars from “Heated Rivalry” as torchbearers.
The Star Observer's archives remain a vital source of the history of the LGBT community, including moments such as Gus Kenworthy's historic kiss on live television during the last Games and Adam Rippon's achievements.
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