Olympic Medal Count: Norway Surges as U.S. Medalists Take the Spotlight in Feb. 19 Tally
Olympic Medal Count updates published on the morning of Thursday, Feb. 19 show a shifting leaderboard at the 2026 Winter Games, with one nation extending a long-term lead and coverage turning a bright light on the athletes who reached the podium for the United States. All data in the tally is accurate as of Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, at 5: 00 p. m. ET.
Olympic Medal Count: Feb. 19 standings and event scope
The medal standings refreshed on Feb. 19 reflect results from a Games that feature athletes from more than 90 countries competing across 116 events over 16 days. Organizers and on-site teams are maintaining an up-to-the-minute podium tally to track every nation finishing on the podium as the schedule unfolds.
Part of the coverage emphasis has been profiles and roll calls of U. S. podium finishers — a concerted effort to meet the medalists from the United States and put faces to the results as the standings change. A team of more than a dozen journalists is working on the ground in Italy to capture those moments, bring background on medal-winning performances and follow upcoming medal events through the rest of the Games.
How Norway’s youth sports model built a Winter Olympics dynasty
Meanwhile, a broader trend looms over the leaderboard: Norway is once again positioned as the dominant Winter Olympics program. Norway leads the all-time Winter Olympics medal count with over 400 medals and is on pace to top the medal table for the third consecutive Winter Olympics (2018, 2022, 2026). That sustained success is being tied directly to a youth sports philosophy that departs sharply from many other systems.
Key elements of that model include no scorekeeping until age 13, participation trophies for everyone, no travel teams, no early specialization, no national championships for children, and no online rankings. The approach also emphasizes low annual costs for participation, with typical expenses not exceeding $1, 000 per child. The result is a youth participation rate of 93%, nearly 40 points higher than the comparison cited for the United States. Analysts and observers point to that participation base and development pathway as foundational to Norway's deep medal pool.
What to watch next
As the Games proceed, expect the Olympic Medal Count to remain a focal point: daily shifts will reflect individual event outcomes, the unfolding schedule of remaining medal competitions, and continued coverage of medalists from the United States. With more than a dozen journalists on site, dedicated profiles of podium finishers will continue alongside the medal table updates, providing both the numbers and the stories behind them.
All medal standings cited here are current through Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, at 5: 00 p. m. ET, and will be revised as additional events award medals in the days ahead.
