The days leading up to the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics have been a literal rollercoaster ride, replete with construction issues with the hockey arena to Cloudflare threatening to cease operations in Italy. And yet anticipation around the Games has not diminished. But for British viewers, an announcement from a long-trusted public broadcaster has caused a bit of commotion.

On X, BBC Sports announced: “The BBC will broadcast more than 450 hours of live action from next month’s Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. The Games, which run from Friday 6 to Thursday 22 February, are the most accessible to UK audiences for two decades.”

The broadcasting plans promise daily coverage of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, led by a familiar and respected presenting team of Clare Balding, Hazel Irvine, and Jeanette Kwakye across BBC One and BBC Two. However, there’s more for the fans to look forward to.

An additional digital-only stream, Olympics Extra, will provide a second live feed from morning until night on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport app. But what fans honed in on was the lack of any ex-winter Olympians in their lineup.

Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport, said: “The Winter Olympics spotlight the world’s most elite winter athletes as they push the boundaries of speed, precision and excellence across snow and ice, and BBC Sport can’t wait to bring audiences all the very best action and medal moments straight from Milan‑Cortina.”

“Our expert line‑up of international winter sport stars, combined with our unmissable coverage, will ensure that the Italy 2026 Olympic Winter Games take pride of place in what promises to be an unforgettable year of sport.”

Despite this effort to make sure that the British fans have full access to the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, the social media users didn’t seem that enthused by this announcement.

The fans criticized the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics broadcasting announcement

The concerns that have surrounded the BBC’s latest announcement regarding the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics have been around the trio consisting of Clare Balding, Hazel Irvine, and Jeanette Kwakye.

One fan complained, “Would be nice if at least one of those three ladies had vaguely competed in a sport that will feature at the Winter Olympics.” Similarly, another wrote, “So nobody who has ever competed in a Winter Olympics sport presenting then? Pathetic.”

However, the presenters’ resumes say something else. While they have not directly competed at the Winter Olympics, Balding has covered previous Winter Olympic Games, from Salt Lake City 2002 to Beijing 2022, in addition to multiple Summer Olympic Games.

Similarly, Irvine has covered multiple Winter Olympics in her career, while Kwakye has represented Great Britain in the Summer Olympics in athletics, and in her broadcasting career, she covered the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Despite a lineup like this, a fan wrote, “I’ll find another channel, thanks.” This comment is a request to the BBC, as it read, “Let’s just hope BBC has some knowledgeable commentators, not these presenters who commentate on numerous different sports.”

The complaints continued: “Clearly being an expert on winter sports wasn’t one of the boxes being ticked when picking the presenters.”

However, BBC confirmed that there will be a punditry team that will provide analysis at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. This team will consist of two-time Olympic champion in women’s skeleton, Lizzy Yarnold; Olympic champion in women’s curling, Vicky Wright; and Olympian Montell Douglas, who participated in athletics.

So, only time will tell how the BBC will handle its coverage at the upcoming event.