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Feb 5, 2026

How to watch the Milan Cortina opening ceremony

02:22
How to watch the Milan Cortina opening ceremony

The opening ceremony of the2026 Milan Cortina Olympicswill take place Friday, beginning at 2 p.m. ET, with prime-time coverage starting at 8 p.m. ET.

NBC Universal

When is the opening ceremony?

Who will be performing?

Grammy Award-winning performer Mariah Carey, as well as Italian icon and tenor Andrea Bocelli, will be performing at this year's opening ceremony. Performers also include Emmy-nominated Italian actor Sabrina Impacciatore of Peacock's "The Paper" and Chinese pianist Lang Lang.

What can you expect to see?

The opening ceremony will take place at Milan's San Siro stadium, and event organizers have said Milan will celebrate the opening of the Games by involving multiple competition venues.

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The afternoon's events will feature the lighting of two Olympic cauldrons for the first time: one in Milan at the iconic Arco della Pace, and one in Cortina d'Ampezzo at Piazza Dibona in the heart of the mountain town.

Where can fans tune in?

The ceremony will be broadcast on NBC andstreamed on Peacock.

When will Olympic events begin?

The first Olympic curling eventstook place Wednesday, before the opening ceremony.

Fans can watch their favorite events live on NBC, USA Network and CNBC or streamed on Peacock, the NBC app, the NBC Sports app and NBCOlympics.com.
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Ice hockey at 2026 Winter Olympics: How it works, competition schedule

02:22
Ice hockey at 2026 Winter Olympics: How it works, competition schedule

MILAN — The Canadian women's national hockey team has won gold at five of the last sixWinter Olympics, but the U.S. women's national hockey team has all the momentum heading into the2026 Milano Cortina Games.

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TheU.S. women swept Canada in the 2025 Rivalry Series, something neither team has done in the tournament's six-year history. The Americans dominated and outscored the Canadians 24-7 throughout the tournament's four-game slate, led by five goals fromHilary Knight,who is set to appear in her fifth and final Olympic Games.

Meanwhile, the U.S. men are looking to end a 46-year gold-medal drought. The Americans should get a boost from the return of NHL players to the Olympics for the first time since the 2014 Sochi Games.

Here's what you need to know about ice hockey at these Games.

Auston Matthews wears the USA's jersey that will be worn at the 2026 Olympics. A closer look at the jerseys that will be worn by the men's, women's and Paralympic teams. The front of the blue jersey. The front of the white jersey A closeup of the stripes on the blue jersey. A slogan inside the collar of the blue jersey. A closeup of the front of the white jersey <p style=Stripes on the back of the white jersey

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Brady Tkachuk Quinn Hughes Hilary Knight Taylor Heisse Declan Farmer

US hockey jerseys unveiled for 2026 Olympics

When did ice hockey become a Winter Olympic sport?

Men's ice hockey dates back to the 1920 Summer Olympics, before it was transferred to the Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The women's event was added to the program at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics.

How does Olympic ice hockey work?

Just like the NHL but with wider rinks, Olympic ice hockey pits two teams against each other in each game, and whichever team scores the most goals wins. During a hockey match, each team has a goalie plus five skaters (usually two defensemen and three forwards) on the ice, with substitutions sometimes coming as often as every 30 seconds. An ice hockey game normally lasts 60 minutes, divided into three periods of 20 minutes each, and will move to an overtime and then a shootout to break a tie.

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  • Men's ice hockey: Maximum of 25 players: 22 skaters and 3 goaltenders

  • Women's ice hockey: Maximum of 23 players: 20 skaters and 3 goaltenders

Hockey player Hilary Knight of the United States poses for a photo during a Team USA Photo Shoot at Sunset Glenoaks Studios on May 20, 2025 in Sun Valley, Calif. Knight has won NCAA, Olympic and World championships. Hilary Knight of the Wisconsin Badgers gets the puck past Johanna Ellison #1 of the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs to score a goal in the second period on March 20, 2009 during the NCAA WomenÕs Frozen Four at Agganis Arena in Boston, Mass. Hilary Knight of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrates her goal against the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs on March 20, 2009 during the NCAA WomenÕs Frozen Four at Agganis Arena in Boston, Mass. Jessie Vetter #30, Jasmine Giles #12, Erika Lawler, Hilary Knight (bottom right) and the rest of the Wisconsin Badgers pose with the championship trophy after they defeated the Mercyhurst Lakers on March 22, 2009 during the NCAA Women's Frozen Four Championship game at Agganis Arena in Boston, Massachusetts. The Wisconsin Badgers shut out the Mercyhurst Lakers 5-0. USA's Hilary Knight (21) controls the puck against Sweden's Frida Nevalainen (3) during the women's semifinal of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics on Feb. 22, 2010. USA forward Hilary Knight celebrates her shootout goal against Canada in an exhibition hockey game at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. on Dec 28, 2013. USA defeated Canada 3-2 in a shootout. Team USA women's hockey forward Hilary Knight poses at a portrait session during the Team USA Media Summit at Canyons Grand Summit Hotel in Park City, Utah on Oct. 2, 2013. USA forward Hilary Knight (21) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against Switzerland in a women's preliminary round women's ice hockey game during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games at Shayba Arena on Feb. 10, 2014. Team USA hockey player Hilary Knight poses for a photo during the 2018 U.S. Olympic Summit at Grand Summit Hotel in Park City, Utah on Sep. 25, 2017. United States forward Hilary Knight (21) scores a goal against Canada in the women's ice hockey gold medal match during the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games at Gangneung Hockey Centre on Feb. 21, 2018 in Gangneung, South Korea. United States forward Hilary Knight (21) deflects the puck past Canada goaltender Shannon Szabados (1) for a goal during the first period in the women's ice hockey gold medal match during the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games at Gangneung Hockey Centre in Gangneung, South Korea on Feb. 22, 2018. USA's Kendall Coyne (L) and Hilary Knight hold their gold medals and the US flag after the medal ceremony after the women's ice hockey event during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Gangneung Hockey Centre in Gangneung on February 22, 2018. USA forward Hilary Knight skates against Canada during the third period of a Rivalry Series women's hockey game at Leon's Centre on Nov. 21, 2021 in Kingston, Ontario. Team United States forward Hilary Knight (21) dives for a puck in front of Team Canada defender Claire Thompson (42) in the second period of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Wukesong Sports Centre on Feb. 8, 2022. (L-R) Jincy Dunne #19, Megan Keller #5, Amanda Kessel #28, Jesse Compher #18, Abbey Murphy #37, Megan Bozek #9, Hilary Knight #21, Dani Cameranesi #24, Hayley Scamurra #16, Savannah Harmon #15 and their Team United States teammates huddle together at their net before the Group A Women's Preliminary Round ice hockey match between Team United States and Team Canada at Wukesong Sports Centre on Feb. 8, 2022 in Beijing, China. Hilary Knight #21 of Team United States puts her own rebound into the net for a shorthanded goal against Ann-Renee Desbiens #35 of Team Canada in the second period during the Women's Ice Hockey Gold Medal match between Team Canada and Team United States on Day 13 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Wukesong Sports Centre on Feb. 17, 2022 in Beijing, China. USA forward Hilary Knight (21) advances the puck against Canada during the third period at Climate Pledge Arena on Nov. 20, 2022 in Seattle, Wash. USA defeated Canada 4-2. USA captain Hilary Knight (12) stands in the middle of her team mates as they sing the national anthem after winning the gold medal match over Canada at CAA Center on April 16, 2023 in Brampton, Ontario. USA forward Hilary Knight (21) celebrates with forward Alex Carpenter (25) after scoring a goal against Canada in the third period at CAA Center on April 16, 2023 in Brampton, Ontario. USA's Hilary Knight stays focused at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, NY on Saturday, April 6, 2024. Team King forward Hilary Knight (21) goes to shoot the puck as Team Kloss defender Erin Ambrose (23)defends during the PWHL 3-on-3 Showcase during NHL All-Star Thursday at Scotiabank Arena on Feb. 1, 2024 inToronto, Ontario. Boston forward Hilary Knight walks onto the ice before a PWHL ice hockey gam against Minnesota at the Tsongas Center on Jan. 3, 2024 in Lowell, Mass. Boston forward Hilary Knight skates onto the ice before a PWHL ice hockey game against Minnesota at the Tsongas Center on Jan. 3, 2024 in Lowell, Mass. (L-R) Taylor Girard, Hilary Knight, Marie-Philip Poulin, Sarah Nurse, Lexie Adzija and Taylor Heise attend the 2024 ESPY Awards at Dolby Theatre on July 11, 2024 in Hollywood, Calif. Hilary Knight of the U.S. celebrates with the trophy after winning the Gold Medal Game against Canada at the IIHF Women's World Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic on April 20, 2025. Hilary Knight of Boston Fleet celebrates with fans after scoring a goal against the Minnesota Frost during the third period at Tsongas Center on Feb. 16, 2025 in Lowell, Mass. The Fleet defeat the Frost 4-2. Hilary Knight of Boston Fleet looks on during the third period of the game against the Minnesota Frost at Tsongas Center on Feb. 16, 2025 in Lowell, Mass. The Fleet defeat the Frost 4-2. Hilary Knight, captain of Team USA ice hockey and of the new PWHL expansion team in Seattle, throws the ceremonial first pitch before the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Milwaukee Brewers at T-Mobile Park on July 23, 2025 in Seattle, Wash.

USA Hockey veteran Hilary Knight heads to Milan‑Cortina as team leader

Top Team USA athletes

  • Hilary Knight: The five-time Olympian has a gold and three silver medals Olympic medals to her name. Knight has 10 gold medals at the IIHF Women's World Championship, the most of any player, and holds records for all-time goals, points and assists. Knight, 36, said Milano Cortina will be her last Games.

  • Kendall Coyne Schofield: The three-time Olympian has won a gold and two silver medals, in addition to seven gold medals at the IIHF Women's World Championship. She welcomed son Drew in July 2023.

  • Matthew Tkachuk: Tkachuk led the Florida Panthers to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2024 and 2025. He won silver with Team USA at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, alongside his brother Brady Tkachuk, an Ottawa Senators left winger.

  • Auston Matthews: The Toronto Maple Leafs forward is set to make his Olympic debut after dominating the NHL, where he's won rookie of the Year, MVP, most outstanding player and scored the most goals in the league four times. Matthews won silver with Team USA at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.

What's the international landscape in Olympic ice hockey?

The American and Canadian women each have seven Olympic medals, but Canada has the edge with five gold medals, compared to the United State's two. The Canadian men also have the most Olympic medals with sixteen overall and nine golds. The Soviet Union won nine medals overall and seven golds before dissolving in 1991.

Olympics hockey schedule

Women's tournament

  • Feb. 5-10: Preliminary rounds

  • Feb. 13-14: Quarterfinals

  • Feb. 16: Semifinals

  • Feb. 19: Gold medal game; bronze medal game

Men's tournament

  • Feb. 11-15: Preliminary rounds

  • Feb. 17: Playoff qualification

  • Feb. 18: Quarterfinals

  • Feb. 20: Semifinals

  • Feb. 21: Bronze medal game

  • Feb. 22: Gold medal game

Contributing: Ellen Horrow

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Ice hockey at 2026 Winter Olympics: How it works, what to know
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Ski jumping at 2026 Winter Olympics: How it works, competition schedule

02:22
Ski jumping at 2026 Winter Olympics: How it works, competition schedule

MILAN — It's a bird. It's a plane. It's … a ski jumper!

USA TODAY Sports

The high-flying sport returns at the2026 Winter Olympicsin Predazzo, Italy, with six events, including the debut of individual women's large hill and the men's super team.

It's been 102 years since an American ski jumper has made the podium at the Winter Olympics. Team USA's one and only ski jumping medal came in 1924 when American Anders Haugen won bronze in men's large hill individual in the inaugural Chamonix Winter Olympics. The U.S. was shut out at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Jessie Diggins (USA) celebrates her silver medal in cross-country skiing women's 30km mass start during the closing ceremony for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Beijing National Stadium. <p style=Suzanne Schulting (NED) celebrates with Xandra Velzeboer (NED) and Yara van Kerkhof (NED) and Selma Poutsma (NED) after winning the women's 3000m relay final during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Capital Indoor Stadium.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Jessie Diggins (USA) celebrates winning the silver medal in the women's cross-country skiing 30km freestyle during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Zhangjiakou Cross-Country Centre.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Gus Kenworthy takes a selfie photo with his teammates during the slopestyle skiing press conference in preparation for the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games at the Main Press Centre. Gold medallist USA's Erin Jackson reacts on the podium during the women's 500m speed skating victory ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the Beijing Medals Plaza in Beijing. Laura Nolte and Deborah Levi (GER) celebrate after winning the gold medal in 2-woman bobsleigh during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Yanqing Sliding Centre. Bronze medalists Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue (USA) hold their mascot awards after the mixed ice dance free dance during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Capital Indoor Stadium. USA's Mirai Nagasu reacts after her performance in the women's single skating short program of the figure skating event during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung on February 21, 2018. Sweden's goaltender Lars Johansson sprays water on his face prior to the men's play-off semifinal match of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games ice hockey competition between Russia's Olympic Committee and Sweden, at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing. Ashley Cain-Gribble (USA) and Timothy Leduc (USA) in the figure skating mixed pairs short program during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Capital Indoor Stadium. <p style=Hein Otterspeer (NED) in the men's speed skating 1000m during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at National Speed Skating Oval.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Silver medallist Russia's Evgenia Medvedeva reacts on the podium during the venue ceremony after the women's single skating free skating of the figure skating event during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung, South Korea. Team United States forward Dani Cameranesi (24), Team United States forward Alex Carpenter (25), and Team United States forward Kendall Coyne Schofield (26) stand on the ice during the medals ceremony during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Wukesong Sports Centre. Shaun White (USA) reacts after winning gold in the mens snowboarding halfpipe final during the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games at Phoenix Snow Park. Nathan Chen (USA) competes in the mens singles free program during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Capital Indoor Stadium. <p style=Daeheon Hwang (KOR) celebrates after winning the men's 1500m final during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Capital Indoor Stadium.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Madeleine Egle (AUT) during her first run in women's singles luge competition during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Yanqing Sliding Centre. Vincent Zhou (USA) skates in the men's single free skate during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Capital Indoor Stadium. <p style=Iivo Niskanen (FIN) celebrates winning the gold medal in the men's cross country skiing 15km during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Zhangjiakou Cross-Country Centre.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Ondrej Hotarek and Valentina Marchei (ITA) perform in the figure skating exhibition gala during the figure skating exhibition gala in the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games at Gangneung Ice Arena. Ashley Wagner of the United States reacts to her score after competing in the Figure Skating Team Ladies Short Program during day one of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Iceberg Skating Palace in Sochi, Russia. Thomas Maloney Westgaard (IRL) in the men's cross country skiing 50km freestyle during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Zhangjiakou Cross-Country Centre. Elana Meyers Taylor and Lauren Gibbs (USA) celebrate at the venue victory ceremony after placing second in the women's bobsleigh during the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games at Olympic Sliding Centre. Yura Min and Alexander Gamelin of Korea react after competing during the Figure Skating Ice Dance Short Dance on day 10 of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Gangneung Ice Arena in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. Nick Goepper (USA) reacts after his final run during the men's slopestyle freestyle skiing finals during the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games at Phoenix Snow Park. Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro (CAN) compete in pairs free skating during the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games at Gangneung Ice Arena. Peter Penz and Georg Fischler (AUT) react after run two of luge doubles during the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games at Olympic Sliding Centre. Chloe Kim of the United States reacts to her first run score during the Snowboard Ladies' Halfpipe Final on day four of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Phoenix Snow Park in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. Benjamin Weger (SUI) in the men's biathlon 12.5km pursuit during the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games at Alpensia Biathlon Centre. Czech Republic's gold medallist Ester Ledecka sticks her tongue out on the podium during the medal ceremony for the snowboard women's parallel giant slalom at the Pyeongchang Medals Plaza during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang.

Frozen Focus: The intensity of Winter Olympic faces

When did ski jumping become a Winter Olympic sport?

Ski jumping was featured in the inaugural 1924 Chamonix Winter Olympics with men's large hill ski jump. Men's normal hill ski jump was added to the program at Innsbruck in 1964, while the men's team event was introduced at Calgary in 1988. Women's normal hill ski jump was added at Sochi in 2014, and the mixed team event was first contested at Beijing in 2022. Two new events are set to make their debut in 2026: Individual women's large hill event and the men's super team event.

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How does Olympic ski jumping work?

The high-flying sport features athletes launching themselves as far as they can off a ramp. The jump features four elements: In-run, takeoff, flight and landing. Don't forget about style points. Judges score athletes not only on their length and distance traveled, but also on their form throughout the entirety of the jump. The amount of jumps per event varies, but the end goal is the same. The highest combined score wins. There's six events:

  • Normal hill individual (men and women): Each athlete gets two jumps.

  • Large hill individual (men and women): Each athlete gets two jumps.

  • Super team (men): Each team, made up of two athletes, gets three jumps. This event replaces the traditional men's team event that was contested from 1988-2022.

  • Mixed team: Each team, made up of two men and two women, gets two jumps.

Top Team USA athletes

  • Kevin Bickner (men's large/normal hill): The 29-year-old briefly retired after the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics following a 39th-place finish in large hill and 43rd-place finish in normal hill, but he's returned to competition and is vying for his third Olympic appearance at Milano Cortina.

International landscape

Norway has the most gold (12) and overall medals (36) of any country, followed by Austria (27 overall medals) and Finland (22). Here's some international stars to keep an eye on:

  • Nika Prevc (women's large/normal hill): The 20-year-old Slovenian may be young, but she's already one of the most decorated ski jumpers of all time. Prevc is the reigning world champion in the normal and large hill events, becoming the first woman to win two individual gold medals at the same championship. Her resume is rounded out by two consecutive Crystal Globes, 35 individual World Cup wins (including 15 in one season) and a world record at 236 meters (774 feet). Is an Olympic gold medal next?

  • Daniel Tschofenig (men's large hill): The 23-year-old Austrian secured a Crystal Globe in the 2024–25 season and won the Four Hills Tournament. He's set to make his Olympic debut in Milano Cortina.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Ski jumping at 2026 Winter Olympics: How it works, what to know
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