25 November 2025 - As anticipation builds for Milano Cortina 2026 (6-22 February 2026), the IOC presents “Winter Playing Fields”, a new six-part docuseries telling the extraordinary, untold stories of athletes whose passion and perseverance for winter sports ignited against the backdrop of some of the world’s most striking and unexpected landscapes.
From frozen Himalayan lakes and the Arctic tundra, to the desert dunes of Peru, each of the six episodes spotlights a unique story, united by their shared embodiment of the Olympic spirit: belief, community, determination.
Chuskit & Saldon: Frozen Dreams of Ladakh
High in the Indian Himalayas, on a frozen lake at nearly 3,500 metres, veteran ice hockey captain Tsewang Chuskit mentors newcomer Tanzin Saldon during the India Khelo Games. Together, they lead Ladakh’s women’s ice hockey team, proving that even in the harshest conditions, sisterhood and spirit can rewrite the story of sport.
Sahil: Alpine Dreams
In the Solang Valley, Himachal Pradesh, young skier Sahil Thakur trains on unmarked slopes, with his uncle as coach and his father’s apple orchard as his funding source. Against the odds, he became India’s sole representative at the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games: a journey powered by family, perseverance and belief.
Akutaq: Arctic Skater
After setting a 500-metre short track speed-skating record at the Arctic Winter Games and earning a scholarship in Calgary, Akutaq Williamson Bathory returns to Iqaluit, Nunavut, reflecting on her journey and what it means to skate for a community that believes in her.
Dito: Sand to Snow
Raised among the desert dunes of Huacachina, Dito Chávez dreamed of snow.
“At the age of 10, I saw on the TV these super humans with super suits and astronaut-style boots, really bizarre. That's where my love for snowboarding and my dream began.”
Using his sandboard as a springboard, he carved a path into the snowboard-cross circuit, proving that no dream is too far from home.
Edson: The Last Run
“If you ever see us passing by on the beach, you would never imagine that we are a team of Brazilian bobsledders.”
That’s how Edson Bindilatti introduces his story, one that began with inspiration from the Jamaican bobsleigh team and led him to become captain of Brazil’s own. Now preparing for what may be his sixth and final Winter Olympics, he mentors the next generation while reflecting on leadership, legacy and a lifetime of breaking barriers.
Atailson: Curling in the Tropics
When a farm worker named Atailson Ferreira Ribas helped build an ice rink in São Paulo, he discovered a sport he’d never seen before. Now, he’s fighting for a place on Brazil’s national team, proving that winter dreams can take root anywhere.
Winter Playing Fields is the latest instalment of the award-winning Playing Fields series: highlighting powerful, stories of athletes rising from unexpected places, exploring how passion, identity and community shape their pursuit of sport. It was produced by XTR Studios and directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker David Darg.
Watch “Winter Playing Fields” on Olympics.com from 26 November.
