Winter Olympics: Zlatan Ibrahimovic picks his 'surprise' favourite winter sport ahead of the 2026 Games and explains his admiration for skiers
By Ben Southby
Published 24/01/2026 at 13:30 GMT
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Football legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who played for both AC Milan and Inter Milan during an illustrious football career, is gearing up for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in February. The iconic striker gave us an insight into his admiration for skiers, and picked out his "surprise" favourite winter spot. Watch the Winter Olympics on TNT Sports and discovery+.
'It's like a big party' - Ibrahimovic impressed by incredible Kitzbuhel atmosphere
Video credit: TNT Sports
Former AC Milan and Inter Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was in attendance for the alpine skiing at Kitzbuhel on Saturday, and spoke of his admiration for winter sports.
Ibrahimovic, who scored well over 500 career goals playing for some of the biggest football clubs in the world, representing his country 122 times, also picked out his favourite sport on ice.
Asked what he enjoyed so much about attending winter sports, he answered in typical 'Zlatan' style.
"I mean, you see the atmosphere. The atmosphere is positive energy. The spirit is good, it's like a big great party!" he said.
"And then obviously the race. I'm not an expert on skiing or the skiers, but I can just say, just to be here is a great experience and I enjoy it. Walking around, enjoying, meeting great people and cheering."
He went on to discuss the skiers and explained why he was so "impressed" by them.
"Listen, I can just say that they have big courage, they have big...to go down the hill!" Ibrahimovic explained.
"It goes very fast, there's lots of adrenaline, it's a high risk, but if you don't do something with high risk, you will never know what it's about or how it feels.
"So, I do it differently, but I just admire them and I'm just impressed."
The Winter Olympics are just around the corner - live on TNT Sports and discovery+ - and will take place in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.
"It's a great experience," Ibrahimovic said.
"It's a great and big thing for Milan as a city, divided with Cortina and me, my base is Milano, I live in Milano, and we're just happy and looking forward to the Olympics.
"That will also be a big party and people from all over the world will come and enjoy in one place, and we are happy to represent Milano and make the best for them."
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So, it is clear that Ibrahimovic loves winter sports, but what is his favourite?
"I mean, I'm from Sweden. In Sweden, we have a lot of winter sports, and I got stuck with football, but I follow a lot of winter sports and in Sweden it is a big tradition," he said.
"It's a big culture. Skiing is nice, I like ice hockey, but you also play ice hockey not only in the winter but all year long.
"What else do we have? Curling! A big surprise, but curling is cool also because we have a Swedish team that is good.
"All of them, you just enjoy the athletes performing and doing their best."
How to watch Olympic Winter Games
TNT Sports and discovery+ will be the go-to destination in the UK to watch all of Milano Cortina 2026 live, with more than 850 hours of action from every sport, venue and medal event.Â
Coverage will be made available to the widest audience ever, with discovery+ customers across all plans - starting at £3.99/month in the UK and €4.99/month in Ireland - able to access comprehensive live coverage with 24/7 coverage available through TNT Sports 2 and a selection of live event feeds.
TNT Sports 2 will serve as the primary Olympic destination, offering more than 200 hours of live event coverage, studio programming, replays and highlights, delivering round-the-clock storytelling from Milano Cortina across all 17 days of competition. Â
WBD’s coverage of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 begins on Wednesday, February 4 ahead of the Opening Ceremony at the iconic San Siro stadium on Friday 6 February, running until the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, February 22.Â
The 2026 Olympic Winter Games, starting on February 6, will be live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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