Let the Games Begin!
Day 1: Or "Che i giochi abbiano inizio!" if you want to sound like a local
The moment we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived! It’s been nearly 18 months since we left Paris and almost 1500 days since Beijing (did you remember that’s where the last winter games were?), and we are ready for a party in Milan!
Opening Ceremony producer Marco Balich describes the show as a celebration of harmony and duality: “Milan and Cortina, city and mountain, the harmony between man and nature, between cultures, people and different ways of thinking.” That duality will be on display as two Olympic cauldrons are lit and two Olympic flags are raised in simultaneous Ceremonies in Milan and Cortina. But they aren’t stopping there! Rather than have all the athletes gather in one (or two places) for the Parade of Nations, they will now have four smaller parades where the athletes are living and competing. (Team USA walks 90th of 92.)
Lucky for us, we can enjoy Andrea Bocelli, Mariah Carey, Sabrina Impacciatore, both ceremonies, and all four parades from the warmth of our couch.
For a more in-depth look at the Ceremony, another great Olympics Substack has a deep dive:
What To Watch Today
My goal each day is to present a full event schedule as cleanly and simply as possible, while also highlighting medal events (🥇), Team USA (🇺🇸), and GOAT athletes (🐐). Everything airs live on Peacock and the NBC Sports app, so I am listing live times in the Eastern time zone for all you night owls. Full event replays are available streaming for every session as well.
NBC will air a nightly “Primetime in Milan” package every day from 8 p.m.–11 p.m. (except Super Bowl Sunday, more on that Sunday). This coverage will include the best events as well as news and human interest stories. But because of the time zone difference, nothing will be live in that block.
(All times Eastern. Full event replays available on-demand on Peacock)
3:55 am - Figure Skating: Team Event - Ice Dancing, Rhythm Dance 🇺🇸
4:05 am - Curling: Mixed Doubles Round Robin (four matches)
5:35 am - Figure Skating: Team Event - Pairs, Short Program 🇺🇸
6:10 am - Ice Hockey: Women’s Prelim. Round - FRA vs JPN
7:35 am - Figure Skating: Team Event - Women’s Short Program 🇺🇸
8:35 am - Curling: Mixed Doubles Round Robin (four matches) 🇺🇸
8:40 am - Ice Hockey: Women’s Prelim. Round - CZE vs SUI
2:00 pm - Milano Cortina 2026 Opening Ceremony 🇺🇸
🇺🇸 = Team USA
In Other Olympic News…
A power outage briefly delayed Curling competition and Luge training.
Lindsey Vonn still plans to compete at the Games, despite a recent knee injury.
Finland’s Women’s Ice Hockey team had to delay their game after a norovirus outbreak.
Mary Carillo will anchor today’s Opening Ceremony coverage after Savannah Guthrie withdrew
Photos of the Day
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