Winter Olympics: What is skeleton and how does it work? - Everything you need to know about Britain’s most successful winter sport

The British Winter Olympics team have failed with an attempt to debut a state-of-the-art new helmet in the skeleton bobsleigh next week.

TEAM GB will not be allowed to wear brand new skeleton helmets after they lost a legal challenge . The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) determined on January 29 that

Great Britain have lost their appeal against a ban on new helmets they had hoped to use in the Olympic skeleton competition in Cortina next week.

Just days before the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are set to begin, U.S. skeleton racer Katie Uhlaender is still fighting for a spot. The American is at the center of a controversy after the Canadian skeleton team made a decision at a recent race that ultimately cost her a sixth Olympic appearance.

Skeleton is one of the fastest sports at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. Here’s how the head-first sliding event works and who is competing for the U.S. (AP photo)

Here is everything to know about skeleton at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, including competition preview, top athletes, how to watch and schedule.

Skeleton made its Olympic debut at the 1928 Winter Games in Switzerland and became a permanent event in 2002 during the Games in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Skeleton is an exhilarating Winter Olympic sport in which athletes race head-first down an ice track at speeds reaching over 80 miles per hour (130km/h). While the event can look basic at first glance,

Mystique Ro is about to make her Winter Olympics debut. The 31-year-old, who was born in Oceanside, California and raised in Nokesville, Virginia, is looking to make her mark when she takes the stage at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games.