Sunday February 22, 2026 | VICTORIA, BC [Posted at 12:05 pm PT | Updated 4:19 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy have come to a close today.
Canada achieved a total count of 21 medals: 5 gold, 7 silver and 9 bronze.
The most medals (five in each sport) that were won by Canada were in freestyle skiing, short track and speed skating.
A gold medal was won by Canada in curling as well as one bronze, two silvers were won in ice hockey, one silver in snowboarding and one bronze in figure skating.
The final event, early this morning, was the men’s hockey team final game — Canada vs US, which the US team won, leaving Canada with a silver there.
This was Canada’s 25th appearance at the Winter Olympics, having competed at every edition since the inaugural games in 1924.
Canada stands 11th:
The countries that won the most 2026 Winter Olympics medals are Norway (41), followed by the United States (33), and Italy (30).
The final ranking (due to the number of Gold medals won) is: Norway 1st; United States 2nd; Netherlands 3rd.
Even though Canada got 21 medals (higher than Netherlands with 20 medals), Netherlands ranks third because of their Gold medal count.
Canada ranks 11th overall.
Smaller team compared to 2022:
Canada’s medal take in the 2022 Winter Olympics in China was 26 (4 gold, 8 silver and 14 bronze), compare to 2026 with 21 (5 gold, 7, silver and 9 bronze).
- For the 2022 Winter Games, the Canadian team consisted of 215 athletes (109 men and 106 women) competing in 14 sports.
- For these 2026 Winter Games just completed, the Canadian team consisted of 209 athletes (199 men and 109 women) competing in 14 sports.
Big business:
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) usually generates over $7 billion in revenue every four-year cycle, driven primarily by broadcasting rights (approx. 55% to 61%) and the TOP partnership program (approx. 30% to 36%).
The 2021-2024 period generated $7.7 billion, with $7.5 billion already secured for 2025–2028.
Over 90% of revenue is redistributed to support athletes, sport organizations, and games staging.
The athletes themselves maintain amateur status (not directly paid).
Flagbearers:
Flagbearers for the closing ceremony today were Mikael Kingsbury (freestyle skiing) and Marielle Thompson (women’s ski cross)
===== RELATED:
- 5 am booze for Sunday’s Gold Medal hockey game (February 21, 2026)
- NEWS SECTIONS: SPORTS | AWARDS & MEDALS