Philip Sinner on Deutschlandfunk radio about the 2026 Olympics – Why these Winter Games are a huge media success

Together with Kevin Barth from Deutschlandfunk, ZeMKI member Dr. Philip Sinner discussed Milano Cortina d’Ampezzo 2026, focusing in particular on the great successes of media coverage and further processing from a communication and media studies perspective. The report was broadcast on Deutschlandfunk’s Sport am Sonntag program.

The XXV Olympic Winter Games, which had been taking place in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo since February 6, came to an end yesterday, February 22, 2026, with a closing ceremony in the Arena di Verona. A total of 2,917 athletes from 92 countries competed for gold, silver, and bronze medals in 116 events, or simply enjoyed being there. Contrary to all fears, the competition venues were ready on time, and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Antholz, Bormio, Livigno, and Predazzo provided a fantastic backdrop with their snow-covered landscapes. There were also many surprises, sensational successes, and bitter disappointments, as well as injuries and controversies: The fall of figure skating’s overwhelming gold medal favorite, Ilia Malinin, showed that even a self-proclaimed “quadruple god” can fall. Lindsey Vonn’s injury and her cries of pain during the broadcast will long be remembered. As will the controversy surrounding the exclusion of Ukrainian skeleton pilot Vladyslav Heraskevych, which casts a shadow over the actions of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). At the same time, the 2026 Games saw some incredible performances: With 18 gold medals, Norway was more successful than any country before, host Italy surpassed itself, and the Netherlands took an incredible third place in the nation rankings, with all medals won in speed skating and short track. In addition to Mikhail Shaidorov’s gold medal in figure skating, Lucas Pinheiro Braathen’s victory in the giant slalom is certainly the biggest surprise; Brazil has won its first ever medal at the Winter Games, and it is gold. And how did Germany fare? The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) has had mixed results: the ice track with luge, bobsleigh, and skeleton remains a safe bet, with a total of 19 out of 26 medals. Gold for Daniela Maier in ski cross and for Philipp Raimund in the normal hill event, as well as two silver medals for Emma Aicher in the downhill and team competition, are great personal successes. However, there is a significant gap in the Nordic and younger disciplines. With a total of 26 medals, the haul is lower than in Beijing four years ago, and the DOSB has clearly missed its stated goal of finishing among the top three nations.

The media coverage of the Games in Germany was quite different. Three broadcasters, ARD, ZDF, and Eurosport, reported live and in countless parallel streams. The viewing figures and click rates were extremely high across the board. The decision in the men’s doubles luge was the most widely watched program, attracting almost seven million viewers and proving more popular than the DFB quarterfinal between FC Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig, which was broadcast at the same time. Enormous reach was also achieved on social media, with a wide variety of offerings and content. In the context of the mediatization of sports, high-speed drones also provided completely new and spectacular images that have permanently changed the Olympic experience.

The entire Sport am Sonntag broadcast can be listened to on the Deutschlandfunk website.