The Washington Post has abruptly canceled its on-site coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy, just two weeks before the Games begin in early February.
Managing Editor Kimi Yoshino informed more than a dozen journalists via email on Friday that the newspaper would not send any staff contingent, citing a reassessment of priorities for 2026.
"We realize this decision and its timing will be disappointing to many of you," she wrote, offering to discuss further.
This breaks with longstanding precedent at the newspaper, which typically deploys 10–20 staffers to the Winter Games (and more for Summer Olympics, such as 26 in Paris in 2024). Olympic articles have ranked among The Post's most popular sports content.
The decision reflects ongoing financial pressures.
The Post has faced mounting losses, including $100 million in 2023, leading to buyouts that cut 240 jobs that year and additional rounds since—often affecting high-profile journalists—as subscription and ad revenue fell short of projections.
The Washington Post could shut down its entire sports section after management informed staffers that it was abruptly scrapping its planned coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics two weeks before the opening ceremony.
The decision by the Jeff Bezos-owned publication to cancel coverage of the Winter Games coincides with a report from Puck News journalist Dylan Byers, who tweeted on Saturday that “massive layoffs” at the paper were imminent.
Under Jeff Bezos's ownership since 2013, The Post had expanded globally with hubs in Seoul and London and aggressive international hiring, but recent years have seen retrenchment amid industry-wide challenges.