The countdown is nearly over as the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics prepare to officially open tomorrow, February 6, with a groundbreaking opening ceremony at the iconic San Siro Stadium in Milan. The event, themed "Armonia" (Harmony), will make Olympic history as the first ceremony to span two cities simultaneously, with celebrations occurring in both Milan and the alpine resort town of Cortina d'Ampezzo.
The opening ceremony promises to be a spectacular showcase of Italian culture and artistic excellence, featuring an extraordinary lineup of performers. Five-time Grammy Award winner Mariah Carey will headline alongside legendary Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and Golden Globe winner Laura Pausini. Italian rapper Ghali, Emmy-nominated actress Sabrina Impacciatore from The White Lotus, and acclaimed actor Pierfrancesco Favino will also take the stage in what organizers describe as an unforgettable celebration of unity through sport.
For the first time in Olympic history, two Olympic cauldrons will be lit during the ceremony. One will stand at Milan's historic Arco della Pace, while the second will illuminate Piazza Dibona in Cortina d'Ampezzo, symbolizing the unprecedented partnership between the two host cities. The production by Balich Wonder Studio involves 1,200 volunteer performers from 27 countries, ranging in age from 10 to 70 years old, with 500 musicians recording the music and 1,400 different costumes being worn throughout the show.
San Siro Stadium, Italy's largest venue with more than 75,000 seats, will serve as the main stage for this historic event. The ceremony carries additional significance as it marks the final major sporting event at the legendary stadium, home to both AC Milan and Inter Milan football clubs, before its scheduled demolition following the Games. An estimated two billion viewers worldwide are expected to tune in for the broadcast.
The Games will feature approximately 2,800 athletes competing across 116 medal events in 16 sports from February 6 through February 22. Ski mountaineering makes its Olympic debut at these Games, while new medal events include men's and women's dual moguls in freestyle skiing, the return of doubles in luge, team alpine combined, and women's large hill individual in ski jumping.
Team USA arrives with its largest Winter Olympic delegation since 2018, with 232 athletes ready to compete. Among the American stars to watch are alpine skiing legends Lindsey Vonn, who at 41 seeks to add to her three Olympic medals, and Mikaela Shiffrin, the five-time World Cup overall champion pursuing her third Olympic gold. Figure skating sensation Ilia Malinin enters as the overwhelming gold medal favorite, unbeaten over his last two seasons.
China's Eileen Gu returns to defend her freestyle skiing titles after capturing three medals at Beijing 2022, while Chinese pairs figure skaters Sun Wenjing and Han Cong return as the only defending Olympic champions in their discipline. The figure skating team event shapes up as a potential duel between the United States and Japan, ranked first and second respectively.
Gates at San Siro Stadium open at 4:00 PM local time tomorrow, with the pre-show beginning at 7:15 PM and the main ceremony starting at 8:00 PM. American viewers can catch live coverage beginning at 2:00 PM ET on NBC, Peacock, and NBCOlympics.com, with a primetime re-air at 8:00 PM ET. The ceremony promises to set the stage for what organizers hope will be seventeen unforgettable days of winter sports competition in the heart of Italy.
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