Overview
- Preliminary competition starts Feb. 4, with the opening ceremony at Milan’s San Siro on Feb. 6 featuring Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli and the first-ever dual Olympic cauldrons in Milan and Cortina.
- The IOC says preparations are on track even as finishing work continues, noting a Cortina spectator cable car will not be ready and that Milan’s Santagiulia hockey venue will have all athlete, media and public areas operational.
- The Games’ wide footprint across Milan, Cortina, Bormio, Livigno, Val di Fiemme and Antholz poses transport challenges as delegations arrive, including Korea’s 71-athlete team.
- The program adds ski mountaineering and new events such as women’s doubles luge and mixed team skeleton, contributing to 116 medal events and a Winter Games‑record share for women.
- NBCUniversal plans more than 3,200 hours of coverage with every event streaming on Peacock, while UK viewers get live broadcasts on TNT Sports/Discovery+ and key events on the BBC, and NHL players return to the Olympic hockey tournament.