In a festival of sport not lacking exhilarating and breakneck events, speed skating is one of the most exciting and enjoyable to watch at the Winter Olympics. And to make sure you catch all of the heats and finals at Milano-Cortina 2026, this guide will explain how to watch speed skating at the Olympics from wherever you are in the world when it's on.
The last decade or so has seen the Netherlands turn itself into speed skating's most dominant powerhouse. Its competitors have picked up more than half the available gold medals available at the last three winter games (21 from a possible 40), and you can expect to see plenty more orange outfits on the podium at the Milan Speed Skating Stadium this February.
Speed skating is a fickle pursuit, however, and the Dutch are unlikely to have everything their own way. After somewhat disappointing medal hauls in recent games, Team USA has come to Italy with some genuine hopefuls for gold. No more so than 21-year-old Jordan Stolz who has taken skating by storm since his first Olympics four years ago, and will compete in four events this time around.
With strong teams also expected from the likes of China, South Korea, Sweden, and hosts Italy, and 14 golds in total up for grabs, keep reading to discover how to watch Olympic speed skating live streams. We have information on various host broadcasters around the planet, together with free streams and what to do if you're overseas this month.
- See also: How to watch Olympic snowboarding | How to watch Olympic Ice Hockey | How to watch Olympic Curling
How to watch speed skating at the Olympics in the US
NBC and its suite of channels is covering Winter Olympics 2026 action on TV in the US and, with 13 Team USA speed skaters at the event, you can expect it to be showing plenty of the action. Speed skating is scheduled to be broadcast across NBC and the USA Network, while you'll need an online Peacock subscription (from $11 a month or $110 a year) to watch every minute of every race guaranteed.
Cord cutters may alternatively prefer to go for a more comprehensive cable replacement provider such as DirecTV. It features both stations on all of its standard streaming packages, as well as its dedicated MySports plan that costs $70 a month. And if you haven't been a DirecTV customer in the past you can see what it's all about with a five-day free trial. There's also a current deal that will knock $10 a month off your first two months of MySports.
Sling TV is another excellent option and comes in a little more affordable than DirecTV. NBC (in selected cities) and the USA Network are both included in its Sling Blue plan, which features more than 40 channels and costs from $46 a month ($50 a month with local channels).
How to watch speed skating at the Olympics in the UK
Public broadcaster the BBC has free coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics, with daily action across its BBC One and Two channels and online via the BBC iPlayer streaming service. TV license holders can watch all the live action there for free, with iPlayer also letting you watch on demand. It's worth knowing, however, that the BBC coverage will be limited to the biggest events. In order to watch every single event — including every speed skating heat and final — you'll need access to the Discovery Plus streaming platform. Prices start from as little as £4 a month.
How to watch speed skating at the Olympics in Australia
Free Winter Olympics 2026 streams are being provided by the 9Now website and app in Australia, with all the biggest action being shown. However, without any Australian speed skaters qualifying this year, it's unlikely that 9Now will have extensive coverage of this discipline. For that, you'll need a subscription to Stan Sport, which is showing every minute of every race. Stan Sport costs from $32 a month — base Stan plans start at $12 and then you need to add Stan Sport for an extra $20.
How to watch speed skating at the Olympics in Canada
Only one nation (the Netherlands) has more speed skating competitors at Milano-Cortina than the 15 Canadians, so it seems fitting that Canada has some of the best free 2026 Winter Olympics coverage of any country. All the action can be watched live and on demand exclusively at CBC Gem, which can be streamed on its website or on apps for Android, iOS, Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Xbox, and select Smart TVs.
How to watch speed skating at the Olympics from anywhere
If you're overseas and try to watch your domestic Winter Olympic stream — whether that be on Peacock, CBC Gem, BBC iPlayer or anywhere else — you'll quickly discover that it's blocked due to geo-restrictions. It's certainly annoying, but can be overcome by using a VPN (virtual Private Network). They're clever apps that make your laptop, smartphone, or streaming device look like they're in a completely different country, allowing you to watch your usual stream as if you were back home.
NordVPN is the very best VPN out there right now. It's fast, easy to use, and has server locations in 130 countries. It's reasonably priced, too, and you can give it a try without risk thanks to its 30-day money-back guarantee. Read more with our in-depth NordVPN review.
Olympic Speed Skating 2026 schedule
The speed skating medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics will be decided on the following schedule:
Note: The use of VPNs is illegal in certain countries and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content might constitute a breach of the terms of use for certain services. Business Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.
The post How to watch speed skating at the Olympics: Live stream the 2026 Winter Games free from anywhere appeared first on Business Insider
