The 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympic Games have officially begun after an opening ceremony spread across four different venues in northern Italy. Two Italian skiing legends lit the cauldron in Milan to set the Games in motion, while an alpine skier lit another cauldron in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

What it was like to be in San Siro Stadium to kick off the Winter Games

Milan's San Siro Stadium played the role of primary host. But, in the spirit of these unusually widespread Games, simultaneous celebrations were also held in the clusters of Livigno, Predazzo and Cortina d'Ampezzo, which — for the first time ever — lit a second Olympic cauldron.

There will be two broadcasts of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony this Friday. You can tune in live from 2PM - 5PM ET on Friday afternoon, or catch the encore broadcast from 8PM - 11PM ET that night. Both broadcasts will air on NBC, which is available with DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV, and more.

Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance were spotted at the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Friday night in Milan, Italy.

The unprecedented four-site, dual-cauldron Milan Cortina Winter Games opening ceremony replete with references to Italian icons and culture has started.

MILAN (AP) — American athletes received an enthusiastic welcome at the opening ceremony for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, but the mood shifted when cameras briefly turned to Vice President JD Vance.

The 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics officially started Friday afternoon with the opening ceremony.

There are few opportunities to mount an event of this scale, but the Olympics host country showed what it was made of through performances by Mariah Carey, Andrea Bocelli and Sabrina Impacciatore.