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Sunday, Jan 25, 2026
Outside the box.
Washington Post Cancels On-Site Winter Olympics Coverage Weeks Before the Games
Prominent U.S. newspaper scraps plans to send a reporting team to Milan-Cortina 2026, citing financial priorities amid newsroom cost cutting
The Washington Post has abandoned its plans to provide on-site coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, sending shockwaves through sports journalism circles just weeks before the opening ceremony.
In an internal memo to staff, managing editor Kimi Yoshino informed employees that the paper will not deploy any reporters to Italy, a decision driven by an assessment of financial priorities and ongoing newsroom restructuring.
The cancellation comes less than three weeks before the Winter Games begin on February sixth, marking the hundredth anniversary of the Olympic Winter Games.
According to reporting on the internal communication, the Post had already invested in travel credentials, accommodation and logistical planning for its team before the abrupt reversal.
Sources familiar with the situation say the move is tied to broader cost-containment measures and potential layoffs under the ownership of Jeff Bezos, with the paper reportedly planning further workforce reductions in the coming weeks.
Staffers were told the decision would disappoint many who had anticipated covering key events such as alpine skiing, ice hockey and figure skating from the ground in Italy.
The Washington Post’s withdrawal from on-site reporting deprives readers of what has historically been rich, narrative Olympic coverage and reflects wider challenges facing legacy news organisations in sustaining resource-intensive international reporting.
The Olympics remain one of the world’s most watched sporting spectacles, and traditional media organisations typically send large contingents to capture the breadth of competition and human stories.
Despite the Post’s decision, other media outlets and broadcasters are preparing extensive coverage of the Games, which will run from February sixth to February twenty-second across twenty-five venues in Italy’s Lombardy and Veneto regions.
Analysts say the Post’s retreat highlights the economic pressures facing major newspapers as they balance global events coverage with budget constraints and shifting audience behaviours.
In an internal memo to staff, managing editor Kimi Yoshino informed employees that the paper will not deploy any reporters to Italy, a decision driven by an assessment of financial priorities and ongoing newsroom restructuring.
The cancellation comes less than three weeks before the Winter Games begin on February sixth, marking the hundredth anniversary of the Olympic Winter Games.
According to reporting on the internal communication, the Post had already invested in travel credentials, accommodation and logistical planning for its team before the abrupt reversal.
Sources familiar with the situation say the move is tied to broader cost-containment measures and potential layoffs under the ownership of Jeff Bezos, with the paper reportedly planning further workforce reductions in the coming weeks.
Staffers were told the decision would disappoint many who had anticipated covering key events such as alpine skiing, ice hockey and figure skating from the ground in Italy.
The Washington Post’s withdrawal from on-site reporting deprives readers of what has historically been rich, narrative Olympic coverage and reflects wider challenges facing legacy news organisations in sustaining resource-intensive international reporting.
The Olympics remain one of the world’s most watched sporting spectacles, and traditional media organisations typically send large contingents to capture the breadth of competition and human stories.
Despite the Post’s decision, other media outlets and broadcasters are preparing extensive coverage of the Games, which will run from February sixth to February twenty-second across twenty-five venues in Italy’s Lombardy and Veneto regions.
Analysts say the Post’s retreat highlights the economic pressures facing major newspapers as they balance global events coverage with budget constraints and shifting audience behaviours.
