Are You Wondering What DNI Means at the Winter Olympics? Here's What We Know

The XXV Winter Olympic Games are underway in Milan and Cortina, Italy, and viewers can't get enough as athletes compete against each other to take home a coveted medal from the Games. As fans watch the 2026 Winter Olympics all over the world, some folks are curious about the sports' lingo often used by broadcasters.

One term that is being used at the Winter Olympics is DNI, and it's used in sports for certain competitions in snowboarding and skiing, but what does the term DNI mean?

According to The Sporting News, DNI represents three extremely relevant letters in some Olympic snowboarding and skiing competitions. The letters repeatedly appear on the scoreboard, and fans want to know why. DNI simply means Did Not Improve, and it happens when a competition has multiple runs without all scores being counted.

One example is during Big Air competitions in Olympic snowboarding and skiing. The competitions include three downhill runs for each athlete competing, and only two scores would count out of the three runs. For instance, if a snowboarder received a score of 80 on their first run, and 80 on their second run, and they received a 70 on their third run, the third run is a DNI because the score didn't improve.

American snowboarder Jake Canter is competing in the 2026 Olympics, and he made it to the Men’s Snowboard Big Air qualifying round with a score of 89 on his first run. With his score of 89, he was in third place, first for Team USA. However, during his second run, Jake scored 71.25. During his third run, the athlete didn't improve his score and received a DNI. The low score resulted in him not qualifying for the finals, and he finished in 15th place.

The top 12 performers move on to the finals, and if Jake had made the qualifying round and won a medal, it would have been his first Olympic medal in the big air event. However, he will get another chance to win a medal in the slopestyle event. Slopestyle qualifiers will begin on Feb. 16. Jake joined Team USA after he won his first World Cup in men’s snowboard slopestyle at the U.S. Grand Prix in Aspen, Colo., according to NBC.

The Colorado native said at the time that winning the event didn't feel real.

"I grew up riding here with AVSC (Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club) as a kid," he said. " So having a slopestyle course on the mountain that kind of gave me everything and being able to win it, it doesn’t feel real. This is unbelievable. I still don’t think it’s real. I’m happy to be here, and I had so much fun today."

Fans who want to watch Jake compete for an Olympic medal in the slopestyle event can do so beginning on Feb. 16 at 8:00 a.m. ET.