Olympians Blaze Through Frozen Landscapes in Epic 2026 Winter Olympics Spot

​BBC Creative has unveiled its striking new campaign for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, with a visually arresting fusion of natural illumination and world class stop-motion that brings the spirit of the Games to life in a way never seen before.

The 'Trails Will Blaze' campaign is set in the frozen landscapes of the Dolomites, and drawing inspiration from the Olympic torch, the world’s greatest winter athletes are presented dazzling with such intensity that glowing trails are left in their wake.

For this campaign, BBC Creative partnered with award‑winning animation studio NOMINT, led by director and founder Yannis Konstantinidis, to produce a stop‑motion film unlike anything previously attempted.

Shot using stop animation and seven hundred individually 3D‑printed athletes, the film was built with intention to tame an element which resists precision. Using fourteen volatile combustion techniques, these complex technical procedures produced a frame-by-frame performance against scale models of the Italian mountains.

The result? A visceral, elemental expression of the Olympic spirit: determination, intensity and the unstoppable drive to push beyond limits.

Yannis Konstantinidis, founder and director of NOMINT said, “This project was technically demanding and creatively exhilarating. From our very first conversation with BBC Creative, we knew we had the chance to pursue the near-impossible. It demanded absolute trust and a willingness to take real creative risks in pursuit of something extraordinary.”

"This film celebrates courage, not just in sport, but in creativity. It is a reminder that when brave creative teams come together with obsessive makers, you can still create work that breaks new ground.”

​Jess Oudot, creative director at BBC Creative said, “The film is a celebration of the trails athletes blaze at the Winter Games and just like they push the limits of their sports, we wanted to push the limits of stop motion.”

The film is set to a powerful new arrangement of Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem, recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Chorus and the Crouch End Festival Chorus.

Follow the Olympic Winter Games across the BBC, with two streams of live daytime action from Italy on BBC One, Two and iPlayer, alongside the best clips, highlights and live text updates across the BBC Sport website, app and social channels.