– Home advantage smaller than ever before, but still a factor
– Italian women playing a huge role in host’s success
– Familiarity with facilities the main reason for Italy’s strong display
– History shows negative spillover possible
From Francesca Lollobrigida setting an Olympic record in the women’s 3,000-meter speed skating for Italy’s first gold to alpine skier Federica Brignone winning her second gold in three days, this has felt like Italy’s Winter Olympics. Their haul of 25 medals* is the nation’s best ever at the Winter Games, surpassing the previous high of 20 in Lillehammer more than 30 years ago.
But how much of this success is down to being the host?
Previous hosts such as the US (2002) and Canada (2010) saw unusually strong results, and South Korea and China also achieved record hauls on home soil. Yet the idea of a home advantage is more complex historically.
Carl Singleton, a senior lecturer in economics at the University of Stirling, who has studied Olympic home advantage across Games from 1896 to 2021, finds that home advantage has generally declined over time. That trend makes sense as the Olympics have expanded: there are now more sports, greater global competition and broader participation — over 90 countries competed in Italy, compared with just 16 at the first Winter Games in 1924.
“If you just look at that long history of the Olympic Games, home advantage now is possibly as small as it’s ever been, even though it’s still obviously quite there and substantial,” Singleton told DW.
Women playing a major role
Italy won 17 medals in Beijing, including two golds. In 2026, with home snow and ice, they have already reached 25 medals, including nine golds, and a striking feature of this success is the contribution from women.
Singleton’s data shows that for Winter Games between 1988 and 2016, home advantage was about 50% larger in men’s events but virtually non-existent in women’s events. This year, however, Italian women have bucked that pattern: they have medaled in 16 events so far, four more than in the previous Games.
“Womens’ sports have become much more competitive, more funding, more access,” Singleton said. “So now you’re maybe seeing the home advantage amplified through the women’s sports matching the home advantage that you might have always or more commonly seen in men’s sports.”
Facility familiarity the major factor
Singleton highlights four main drivers of home advantage: a supportive crowd, lack of travel, familiarity with conditions and venues, and potential bias from officials. In 2026, the marginal gains for Italy seem largely tied to familiarity with facilities.
Italy introduced only two new venues for these Games — the sliding center and the Santagiulia ice arena — meaning Italian athletes were already well acquainted with most tracks and rinks. That familiarity, combined with growing up on the local snow and being world-class competitors, has helped nudge many onto the podium.
“They’ve maximized the familiarity factor at these Games,” Singleton said. Support from home crowds has also pushed athletes in some events.
How long-lasting is this success?
There are always questions about the legacy of hosting and whether strong home performances translate into sustained success. Singleton’s research finds clear spillovers for Summer Games host nations, but not on average for Winter Games.
Recent hosts illustrate a common pattern of decline after hosting. China won 15 medals at home in 2022 but has five in Milan and Cortina. South Korea dropped from 17 at home in 2018 to nine in 2022 and has six this time. Medals aren’t the sole measure of development pathways, but they matter politically and symbolically.
The hope is that hosting and home success inspire the next generation, yet Singleton says the evidence for lasting increases in participation is limited. Cost is a major constraint for many nations. Still, he notes the intangible benefits.
“I’m a macro economist by trade, and I tell my students all the time, there are many things that we can’t quantify in GDP, that don’t show up in national accounts, and I think these things are valuable,” Singleton said. “Maybe, you can’t say that it was worth the initial money because it’s hard to make that comparison, but the memories, the experiences and the sense of national pride are important things which don’t show up in a country’s balance sheet.”
“If every country can lose itself for three weeks and sport can develop a shared memory, then that is what is important.”
Italy’s athletes have demonstrated that even as home advantage appears smaller than in the past, it can still be harnessed to produce memorable performances.
* As of 13:40 CET on February 18, 2026
Edited by: Chuck Penfold