Cross-country skiing at the Winter Olympics

Cross-country skiing has been a part of the Winter Olympic Games since the very first Winter Olympics in 1924, held in Chamonix, France. People from many countries compete in this sport, racing across snowy trails. The races test both strength and skill, with athletes moving quickly over long distances.

Women began competing in cross-country skiing at the Winter Olympics in 1952. Since then, the sport has grown in popularity and importance, with many exciting races and new records being set over the years. Today, cross-country skiing remains one of the favorite events for fans of the Winter Olympics.

Summary

Cross-country skiing has been part of the Winter Olympic Games since the very first Winter Olympics in 1924 in Chamonix, France. Women’s events were added later, starting at the 1952 Winter Olympics.

Events

Cross-country skiing has been part of the Winter Olympic Games since they began in 1924 in Chamonix, France. Women started competing in these events at the 1952 Winter Olympics.

C = classical, F = freestyle, m = mass start, p = pursuit, s = skiathlon

Medal table

Main article: List of Olympic medalists in cross-country skiing

Here is the medal table for cross-country skiing at the Winter Olympics. The information is correct as of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Notes

• 2 gold medals and no silver were awarded at the 2002 men's 2 × 10 kilometre pursuit.
• 2 bronze medals were awarded at the 2018 women's 10 kilometre freestyle.

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Norway	59	42	39	140
2	Sweden	37	31	26	94
3	Soviet Union	25	22	21	68
4	Finland	22	27	38	87
5	Russia	14	10	9	33
6	Italy	9	14	15	38
7	ROC (ROC)	4	4	3	11
8	Estonia	4	2	1	7
9	Switzerland	4	1	5	10
10	Germany	3	10	5	18
11	Unified Team	3	2	4	9
12	Poland	2	1	2	5
13	East Germany	2	1	1	4
14	Canada	2	1	0	3
15	Czech Republic	1	5	3	9
16	United States	1	4	2	7
17	Austria	1	2	3	6
18	Kazakhstan	1	2	1	4
19	France	0	4	4	8
20	Olympic Athletes from Russia	0	3	5	8
21	Czechoslovakia	0	1	4	5
22	Slovenia	0	0	2	2
23	Bulgaria	0	0	1	1
Totals (23 entries)		194	189	194	577

Number of cross-country skiers by nation

This section shows how many cross-country skiers each country sent to the Winter Olympics. The numbers are listed for both men and women, showing how the sport has grown over time.