The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina have arrived, with some events like curling, hockey and figure skating already underway with preliminary action in northern Italy.
The official start to the Games comes Friday afternoon, when delegations of athletes from each of the nations represented in this year’s Olympics gather for the Opening Ceremony at the Milano San Siro Olympic Stadium. Among the performers at this year’s Opening Ceremony are Mariah Carey and legendary tenor Andrea Bocelli, with the evening culminating in the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.
Winter Olympics 2026: Where to watch the Milan Cortina Games Opening Ceremony, time, date, tv channel
Shanna McCarriston
Once the Opening Ceremony finishes, it won’t take long for medals to be handed out and some of the biggest storylines of the 2026 Olympics to come into play. The first medal competition will be the men’s downhill in alpine skiing on Saturday morning, with four other medals on the line on Saturday as well.
On Sunday morning, Lindsey Vonn begins her quest for a fourth-career Olympic medal, as she competes in the women’s downhill just over a week after tearing her ACL. Later in the afternoon, medals will be handed out for the figure skating team event, where Team USA is among the favorites to take home gold.
Before all that hardware begins getting awarded, the festivities begin with a celebration of the Games on Friday evening in Milan.
The ceremonies begin at 2 p.m. ET. You can follow our coverage of all the action below.
Let the fun begin.