Ski mountaineering makes its debut at the Milano Cortina Winter Games

The Winter Olympics bring hundreds of the world's best winter athletes to northern Italy, where they will face off in 16 different sports across 2 1/2 weeks. Here's how to follow along.

There are 206 National Olympic Committees worldwide, which are devised by the IOC and the International Sport Federation. These two organizations are the sole authorities who come together to recognize NOCs for the official Summer and Winter Games.

It will “allow shortlisting of a limited number of interested parties with advanced projects for deeper evaluation”