Gold Medal Watchlist: A Movie for All 16 Winter Olympic Sports
The 2026 Winter Games are officially underway in Milan Cortina, and the schedule is absolutely packed. Between the alpine classics and the high-speed sliding events, there are 116 medal events across 16 different disciplines to watch this month. That includes the highly anticipated Olympic debut of ski mountaineering, which will test athletes’ endurance in the final week of competition.
With so much action on display, I decided to celebrate the occasion with a challenge: compile a list of the best sports movies for every Winter Olympic discipline. And I’ll be honest. This was harder than I thought. Finding a great hockey or figure skating movie is easy, but trying to find a dedicated feature film for niche sports like biathlon, luge, or skeleton? That required some serious digging and creativity.
The result is a diverse watchlist that covers the entire spectrum of the Winter Games. Whether you’re here for the emotional sports dramas or just want to see Chevy Chase rocket down the non-existent slopes of Chicagoland, there’s something here for everyone.
A movie for every 2026 Winter Olympic sport
From the slopes to the ice, I’ve matched every Olympic event on the schedule with a movie recommendation. To make sure no sport was left behind, I tapped into the collective expertise of the CableTV.com team to round out the list.
Select a sport from the list below to jump to its entry, or read on for the full breakdown.
Alpine skiing: “Downhill Racer” (1969)
Robert Redford stars as David Chappellet, a gifted but aloof specialist who joins the U.S. Ski Team in Europe with a singular obsession: Olympic gold. Playing opposite the legendary Gene Hackman, Redford delivers a performance that strips away the sport’s glamour to reveal the icy isolation of a true competitor.
While the ski movie genre is often defined by raunchy comedies and Warren Miller highlight reels, “Downhill Racer” stands apart as a serious classic. It captures the dangerous, relentless drive required to stand atop the podium. Cinephiles will also be interested to see that this was the feature debut of Michael Ritchie, who later directed “The Bad News Bears” and received a story credit on “Cool Runnings.”
Biathlon: “For Your Eyes Only” (1981)
James Bond has a long history with winter sports. “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” is practically a ski movie in disguise. But for the biathlon, “For Your Eyes Only” is the one to watch. It features one of the franchise’s best winter sequences, combining high-speed downhill skiing with motorcycle gunmen, effectively turning Roger Moore into the world’s deadliest biathlete.
What makes this 007 outing essential viewing for 2026 is the setting. The action unfolds in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the host city for the current Winter Games. Watching Bond navigate the slopes, the ski jump, and the bobsled track gives you the perfect look at the terrain Olympians are facing this month.
Bobsled: “Cool Runnings” (1993)
When you think of bobsledding, it’s impossible not to think of “Cool Runnings,” am I right? Loosely based on the Jamaican national team’s Olympic debut at the 1988 Calgary Games, the film defines the underdog spirit with genuine heart and humor. It also stands as a touching tribute to the late John Candy, delivering one of his final performances as the team’s disgraced but lovable coach.
The film score by Hans Zimmer is a particular highlight for me. It blends lighthearted island rhythms with the heart-pounding, inspirational swells you associate with the Olympics. If you ever need a movie to pump you up, you can’t go wrong with “Cool Runnings.”
Cross-country skiing: “The Last King” (2016)
If you think cross-country skiing lacks adrenaline, “The Last King” is here to change your mind. Set in 1206 Norway, this historical action flick stars Kristofer Hivju (Tormund from “Game of Thrones”) as a warrior tasked with smuggling the infant king to safety.
I’m a sucker for action movies set in the past, and this one delivers with breathtaking, icy cinematography. It tells the legendary true story behind the modern Birkebeiner ski race, transforming the sport from an endurance test into a high-stakes battle for survival. It’s intense, snowy, and totally epic.
Curling: “Men with Brooms” (2002)
Curling is arguably everyone’s favorite quadrennial winter sport, and “Men with Brooms” captures that obsession perfectly. This Canadian comedy follows a motley crew of former teammates who reunite to win their local championship to honor their late coach.
It stars writer-director Paul Gross alongside the legendary Leslie Nielsen, who plays the team’s mushroom-farming mentor. While certainly not the most critically acclaimed film on this list, “Men with Brooms” is distinctly an early aughts comedy with oddball charm.
Figure skating: “The Cutting Edge” (1992)
Speaking of charm, “The Cutting Edge” remains the undisputed champion of Olympic rom-coms. The film finds its spark by colliding the rigid world of figure skating with the rough-and-tumble culture of hockey. Kate (Moira Kelly) is a wealthy prima donna running out of partners, while Doug (D.B. Sweeney) is a blue-collar player grounded by a career-ending eye injury.
Their reluctant partnership turns the rink into a battlefield of egos, forcing them to find a rhythm between elegance and aggression. It’s a sharp, entertaining story that proves opposites attract.
Freestyle skiing: “Molly’s Game” (2017)
Okay, hear me out. Yes, this is a movie about high-stakes underground poker. But what sets the entire film in motion is one of the most harrowing depictions of freestyle skiing ever put on screen.
Before she was the “Poker Princess,” Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain) was an Olympic-class mogul skier. The film opens with her qualifying run for the 2002 Winter Games, capturing the terrifying precision and brutal physical cost of the sport. While the rest of the movie trades snow for card tables, that opening sequence alone makes it a must-watch drama about the pressure of freestyle skiing.
Ice hockey: “Goon” (2011)
You probably expected me to recommend “Miracle” here. And while that Kurt Russell flick is great, for a generation of hockey fans, “Goon” is the definitive modern classic. Co-written by Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg, it captures the grit of the sport through Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott), a misfit bouncer and family black sheep who finds his calling as a protector for the Halifax Highlanders.
What elevates “Goon” is its surprisingly thoughtful core. The catalyst for Doug’s journey is his refusal to tolerate a homophobic slur—a nod to his brother and a reflection of a more inclusive hockey culture. The film shines in exploring the “enforcer” dichotomy. Doug is defined by selfless loyalty, telling legend Ross Rhea (Liev Schreiber), “If they need me to bleed, I’ll bleed.”
Rhea provides a sobering reality check: The moment an enforcer tries to be a “real” player instead of a hammer, they become obsolete. Yet, despite this hard truth, “Goon” remains a genuine love letter to the teammates who take the hits so the stars can shine. —Ian McLaren, Contributing Writer
Luge: “The Track” (2025)
While bobsled gets the Disney treatment, luge is often left out in the cold. That changed with “The Track.” This brand-new documentary follows three young men in post-war Bosnia-Herzegovina as they pursue their Olympic dreams.
Directed by Ryan Sidhoo, the film captures the stark reality of athletes Hamza, Mirza, and Zlatan, who train on the graffiti-stained Sarajevo Olympic track scarred by war and neglect. As much as the movie is about luge, it’s also a deeply emotional coming-of-age story about resilience, identity, and the drive to rebuild a future among the ghosts of the past.
Nordic combined: “Better Off Dead” (1985)
In Savage Steve Holland’s 1985 comedy “Better Off Dead,” Lane Meyer (John Cusack) loses his girlfriend, Beth (Amanda Wyss), to Roy Stalin (Aaron Dozier), the pompous captain of the Greendale High School ski racing team. To win her back, Lane challenges Roy to race the K-12, a freaky peak that looks like a vertical drop and includes some epic jumps.
The mountain literally breaks almost anyone who braves the run, so between the breakup and the challenge, Lane figures he’s done for and looks for ways to end it all. But between failed attempts at the K-12 and his depressing goal, Lane finds new love with Monique Junot (Diane Franklin). Their romantic cross-country ski montage isn’t just for show—it serves as the endurance training Lane needs for the final showdown.
“Better Off Dead” is a delightfully unserious film with a surprisingly grounded message: Even when life looks like an insurmountable obstacle, you should never stop trying to conquer it. As Lane’s best friend, Charles De Mar (Curtis Armstrong), so eloquently puts it: “Go that way—really fast. If something gets in your way … turn.” A fitting mantra for any Olympic athlete. —Randy Harward, Senior Staff Writer
Short-track speed skating: “Breaking Through” (2022)
Razor-thin margins define short-track speed skating, and “Breaking Through” is the rare film with the budget to capture that intensity. This polished drama draws on the true story of Yang Yang, the athlete who finally ended China’s Winter Olympic gold medal drought at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.
Pop star Meng Meiqi and veteran actor Xia Yu lead the cast, treating the sport with the cinematic weight of a war movie. The script might hit familiar beats, but the racing sequences are visceral enough to make you wince at every turn.
While “Breaking Through” remains elusive on U.S. streaming services, it offers a fascinating look at the crushing pressure of national expectation for those who can track it down.
Skeleton: “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (1989)
Unfortunately, there are zero narrative feature films about professional skeleton. There are a couple of hard-to-find documentaries, such as “Nerves of Steel” (2006) and “Skeleton’s Serious Kids” (2024). But I’m pivoting this entry to the most famous amateur skeleton run in cinema history: Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) on his saucer sled.
In the 1989 classic, Clark coats a metal disc in a “non-caloric silicon-based kitchen lubricant” and rockets down the hill. The minute-long blur sends him flying over a highway and through the woods before landing in a Walmart parking lot. It captures the exact energy of the skeleton event, minus the helmet and spandex.
Ski jumping: “Eddie the Eagle” (2016)
If you loved “Cool Runnings,” you are legally obligated to watch “Eddie the Eagle.” Both films celebrate the lovable underdogs of the 1988 Calgary Games who captured the world’s heart by simply showing up.
Taron Egerton transforms into Michael “Eddie” Edwards, the bespectacled British plasterer who willed himself into becoming an Olympian through sheer determination. With Hugh Jackman as his reluctant, boozy coach, the film leans into the feel-good formula without apology. Still, I get goosebumps every time he stares down that 90-meter ramp with the odds stacked against him.
Ski mountaineering: “Mount St. Elias” (2009)
Skimo makes its long-awaited Olympic debut this year, combining uphill climbing with downhill racing in a test of pure endurance. But if you want to understand the terrifying scale of the mountain part of that equation, you need to watch “Mount St. Elias.”
This documentary follows three of the world’s top ski mountaineers to the border of Alaska and the Yukon Territory as they attempt the longest ski descent on the planet. Their goal is to ski from the 18,008-foot summit down to the sea. It’s not exactly what you’ll see on display in Bormio, Italy. But it captures the raw, vertical intensity that defines the sport’s soul.
Snowboarding: “The Art of Flight” (2011)
If you tune in to watch Olympic snowboarding this month, you’ll hear a lot about rules and technicalities. “The Art of Flight” is what happens when you take all of that away and replace it with a massive Red Bull budget and a helicopter.
Starring the legendary Travis Rice, this film reinvented the genre with its stunning cinematography and mind-bending stunts. It treats the mountains like a playground, capturing the freedom of the sport in a way that a scored competition never quite can. It is, quite simply, the most captivating snow sports movie you’ll ever see.
Speed skating: “The Silver Skates” (2020)
Loosely based on Mary Mapes Dodge’s 1865 novel, which introduced the U.S. to Dutch speed skating, this Russian epic transplants the story to a dreamlike 1899 St. Petersburg. The city’s frozen rivers serve as icy boulevards where Matvey, a poor courier, crosses paths with Alisa, a rebellious aristocrat. Together, they navigate a dazzling winter world of frozen canals and class divides.
“The Silver Skates” is both a spectacle and a commitment, clocking in at over two hours. If you want a quicker take on the same source material, try the Disney Channel classic “Brink!” on Disney+. It swaps the frozen Neva River for California inline skating, but the heart of Dodge’s story remains the same.
