The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are underway after the lighting of the Olympic cauldrons and the Parade of Nations at the opening ceremony.

The Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics kicked off on Friday with an unprecedentedly widespread opening ceremony that was certainly more somber that the Paris 2024 opener but still delivered a classy spectacle and projected an overall elegance that reflects its Italian spirit.

The Olympic opening ceremony ran 3 1/2 hours, an hour longer than its scheduled run time. It was a spectacular event, one that had a blend of Italian music, food, fashion, culture and a lot more. Catc

The 2026 Winter Olympics reached its first major milestone with a unique opening ceremony held simultaneously in Milan, Cortina, Livigno and Predazzo.

The United States has the largest Olympic delegation with 232 athletes, followed by Canada with over 200 athletes and Italy with 196.

The 2026 Winter Olympics were under way in Milan, Italy, with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance looking on. Team USA is expected to come out into San Siro soon.

South Africa are set to be the best-represented African country at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics (Feb. 6-22), with five athletes expected to participate among a total 13 from the continent.

The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics’ early events continued on day -1 ahead of Friday's opening ceremony. After opening the games on day -2 as the first event to start competitive play, curling continued with wins for the U.