Medal Count and Norway’s Youth Sports Model at the 2026 Winter Games
The medal count at the 2026 Winter Olympics has Norway at the center of the story, with the Scandinavian nation leading the all-time Winter Olympics medal count with over 400 medals while athletes from more than 90 countries compete across the Games.
Medal Count and the standings on Feb. 19
Through the early days of the Milano Cortino program, organizers have scheduled 116 Olympic events over a 16-day program, and the standings were updated for public reference on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, at 5: 00 p. m. A team of journalists has been on site to track each podium finish as the competition progresses.
How Norway’s Youth Sports Model Built a Winter Olympics dynasty
Norway’s position atop the all-time Winter Olympics medal count — with more than 400 medals — reflects a long-term pattern that the country is on track to continue. The nation is on pace to top the medal table for a third consecutive Winter Olympics (2018, 2022, 2026).
Observers point to a youth sports approach that emphasizes broad participation and delayed specialization. Elements of that model highlighted in coverage include:
- No scorekeeping until age 13; participation trophies for everyone
- No travel teams, no early specialization, no national championships for children
- No online rankings and an annual cost that typically doesn’t exceed $1, 000 per child
The result is cited as a national youth sports participation rate of 93%, roughly 40 percentage points higher than the United States.
Broadcast coverage and what comes next
Broadcast coverage for the Games is being carried across a designated network suite, with many competitions airing live on a streaming service. Medal standings and event timing are being kept current as competition continues, and public tallies were noted as accurate on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, at 5: 00 p. m.
Competitions will proceed through the remainder of the 16-day schedule, and medal count updates will continue to reflect podium finishes as events conclude.
