Skeleton and bobsleigh are measured to the hundredth of a second, while luge is to a thousandth. Men's luge is the fastest of all the disciplines, but all three events can see athletes reach speeds of more than 80mph.

With the 2026 Winter Olympics underway, here's a guide on the high-speed sledding sports: luge, skeleton and bobsleigh.

Skeleton is one of the fastest sports at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. Here’s how the head-first sliding event works and who is competing for the U.S. (AP photo)

Just days before the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are set to begin, U.S. skeleton racer Katie Uhlaender is still fighting for a spot. The American is at the center of a controversy after the Canadian skeleton team made a decision at a recent race that ultimately cost her a sixth Olympic appearance.

Great Britain have lost their appeal against a ban on new helmets they had hoped to use in the Olympic skeleton competition in Cortina next week.

The bobsled, luge and skeleton are among the more popular Winter Olympics events, and while they have many similarities, there are key differences.

Ro says that skeleton is the ultimate example of doing something because you love it — even if at first, you thought you hated it.

Team GB will not be allowed to wear brand new skeleton helmets after they lost a legal challenge. The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) determined on January 29 that Team GB‘s innovative safety helmet – used in training for the first time last week – “does not comply” with their existing rules “based on its shape”.