The Olympics in Milan and Cortina – the first "clean" Games in 28 years

Not a single athlete has tested positive for prohibited substances during the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina, making them the first Olympic Games – summer or winter – without doping violations in 28 years. This was announced on March 31 by the International Testing Agency (ITA), which is responsible for the anti-doping program during the Games.

The achievement means the first "clean" Games since the Winter Olympics in Nagano in 1998 in Japan, when no positive samples were registered during the competitions either. Against the backdrop of decades of scandals and retests, the news is seen as an important signal of the effectiveness of increased checks and prevention.

Wider scope and new methods for doping control

According to the ITA, a total of 3,053 samples were collected from 1,848 athletes during the period from the opening of the Olympic villages on January 30 to the closing ceremony on February 22. This number includes 2,180 urine tests, 768 blood samples and 105 samples of dry blood spots – a newer, less invasive method, tested for the first time at the Summer Games in Paris 2024 and used more widely in Milan–Cortina.

All samples were analyzed in a laboratory accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in Rome and will be stored for up to 10 years with the possibility of subsequent re-analysis. This long-term storage policy has become a key tool in the fight against doping, as it allows new test technologies to be used later on old samples.

More tested athletes and stricter pre-Olympic control

The tested athletes represent 63.4% of all participants in the Games – a significant increase compared to around 55% at the Winter Olympics in Beijing 2022. The ITA emphasizes that each national Olympic committee had at least one athlete checked during the competition.

Even more indicative is the fact that 92% of the participants had already undergone doping control at least once within six months before the start of the Olympics. This reflects the intensified pre-Olympic testing program, which purposefully "anticipates" potential offenders even during the preparatory period, and not only during the competitions themselves.

No reason for euphoria yet: retests can change the picture

Despite the impressive initial results, the ITA emphasizes that the conclusions are preliminary for now. "At this stage, based on the results of the tests conducted during the Games, no violations of anti-doping rules have been established," the agency states, but reminds that the final assessment also depends on future re-analyses.

History justifies such caution. The mass retesting of samples from the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, conducted years later with more advanced methods, revealed 73 violations of anti-doping rules. As a result, 31 medals were annulled, and 46 awards in four sports were redistributed – proof that "clean" Games at the moment do not always remain so in retrospect.

Technological advances and pressure on anti-doping bodies

The results from Milan and Cortina come at a time when anti-doping institutions are under serious public and political pressure because of controversial decisions and doubts about their independence. That is why the use of new technologies during the Games has attracted particular attention.

Among the innovations is a device developed by the companies "Tasso" and "InnoVero", which takes blood from the capillaries of the arm, and not from the vein – a procedure that is less invasive and more comfortable for the athletes. Whether the combination of a wider scope, improved methods and long-term storage of samples will keep Milan–Cortina 2026 as the first "completely clean" Olympics in decades will become clear in the coming years – but for now, the games in Italy outline a new standard for anti-doping control.