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2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy

The XX Giochi olimpici invernali, also known as Torino 2006, was a multi-sport event held between February 10 and 26, 2006, in Turin, Italy. This marked the second time Italy had hosted the Winter Olympics, following Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1956. The city of Turin was chosen as the host in June 1999, after defeating Zurich with a vote of 53 to 36.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) adopted a new method of election during its 108th extraordinary session, aimed at reducing corruption scandals surrounding previous elections. This led to the creation of a special body within the IOC to elect finalists from among all candidates, who would then present their final bids before the IOC Congress voted on the host city.

Eight new events were added to the existing program, including mass start biathlon, team sprint in cross-country skiing, and snowboard cross. The International Ski Federation introduced an alternating system for cross-country skiing styles in certain events. A total of 2,821 athletes from 80 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in the games.

The cost of hosting the Torino 2006 Winter Olympics was estimated at US$4.4 billion in 2015 dollars, with a cost overrun of 80% in real terms. This compared to costs of US$2.5 billion and a cost overrun of 13% for Vancouver 2010, and U.S.$51 billion and an overreward of 289% for Sochi 2014.

The games featured memorable moments, including the heroic performance of Chinese sports couple Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao, who continued their free throw program despite one partner falling painfully. The audience accepted this decision with applause, awarding them a silver medal.

A total of 20 gold medals were awarded to athletes from NOCs ranked among the top ten by number of gold medals. FilmMaster Group K-events created and produced the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the XX Winter Olympic Games in Turin.