2026 Winter Olympics live updates: U.S. women play first hockey match ahead of opening ceremony
This version of 2026 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony Milan Hockey Live Updates Rcna256593 - Sports and Recreation | NBC News Clone was adapted by NBC News Clone to help readers digest key facts more efficiently.
Stream every moment and every medal of the 2026 Milan Cortina Games on Peacock. Read more NBC News coverage of the Olympics and the athletes competing.
What to know
- Catch the U.S. women in their first hockey match of the Games when the reigning world champions will face Czechia in the Group A preliminary round.
- Plus, curling round-robins and qualifications for men's Big Air snowboarding are taking place today.
- How to keep up with the Olympics: Stream every moment and every medal of the Games on Peacock. Read the latest updates and interact with our AI chatbot, OLI, on the Olympics hub. And catch up with the top athletes and day’s recaps by signing up for NBC News’ The Sports Desk newsletter.
Nothing like curling first thing in the morning
The first event of today took place in Cortina, where some round robin play in mixed doubles curling took place. Here are the results...
Great Britain beat Estonia 10-5.
Sweden defeated Czechia 7-4.
The United States won against Norway 8-6.
And Olympic host Italy secured an 8-4 victory over Korea.
Temporary venue hosts women's ice hockey
Women's ice hockey is taking place at these Olympics a 40-minute journey outside of Milan's city center at a venue that was built for these games only.
I'm inside Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena, where Sweden and Germany are about five minutes from playing the first game of the Olympics. The game will be played inside what is essentially a giant convention center, with about 18 rows of temporary stands tucked under a low roof in one corner of a massive building.
This building is one of 20 that makes up a massive complex that hosts major trade fairs. And, for the next few weeks, some of the best hockey in the world.
Team USA victorious as mixed doubles session comes to an end
Team USA’s Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin made the most of their final end hammer to take their mixed doubles match against Norway’s Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten.
But the most dominant display of the session came from Italy’s Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner who beat South Korea’s Kim Seonyeong and Jeong Yeongseok 8-4.
Elsewhere Isabella and Rasmus Wrana triumphed over the pair from the Czech Republic’s Julie Zelingrova and Vit Chabicovsky, who opted to shake hands with the match at 7-4.
And after Britain scored four stones to take the score to 10-5 in end seven, Estonia’s Marie Kaldvee and Lill Harri also called an end to their match and shook hands.
Vice President Vance arrives in Milan
The vice president and his family arrived in Milan this morning ahead of tomorrow’s opening ceremony. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be part of the U.S. delegation at the opening ceremony.
Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance, with their sons Ewan and Vivek, in Milan this morning. Kevin Lamarque / AP
Mixed doubles curling gets underway with full power
The mixed doubles is underway and there appears to be full power in the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium which suffered a cut yesterday morning as matches got underway.
Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin of Team USA during the curling mixed doubles round robin against Norway today. Odd Andersen / AFP via Getty Images
Team USA is taking on Norway, home team Italy is taking on South Korea, Norway and their Scandinavian neighbors Sweden are taking on the Czech Republic.
Britain and Estonia are on the fourth sheet.
Vonn is looking to become the oldest Alpine skier in history to win an Olympic medal
Lindsey Vonn. Millo Moravski / Agence Zoom / Getty Images
Vonn is expected to compete in three events: the downhill (Sunday), the team combined (Tuesday) and the super-G (Feb 12). Yesterday, Vonn said that her “intention is to race everything” but that she would have to see how her knee held up after she takes some training runs, which begin tomorrow: “I’ll go as long and as far as I can take it.”
Vonn has won three Olympic medals in her career (one gold, two bronze). At the 2010 Vancouver Games, she won gold in the downhill and bronze in the super-G. She also won a downhill bronze at the 2018 PyeongChang Games (her last Olympic appearance).
Vonn made her Olympic debut at age 17, 24 years ago, at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. She is making her fifth Olympic appearance in Milan Cortina (2002, 2006, 2010, 2018).
What to watch today
In addition to curling, we have women’s hockey (including the first game for the U.S.) and men’s snowboarding happening today.
Here’s the full schedule (all times Eastern):
4:05 a.m.: Mixed doubles curling round-robin (Great Britain-Estonia, Sweden-Czechia, Norway-USA, South Korea-Italy)
6:10 a.m.: Women’s hockey pool play (Sweden-Germany)
8:35 a.m.: Mixed doubles curling round-robin (USA-Switzerland, Norway-Canada)
8:40 a.m.: Women’s hockey pool play (Italy-France)
10:40 a.m.: Women’s hockey pool play (USA-Czechia)
1:05 p.m.: Mixed doubles curling round-robin (Canada-Italy, Switzerland-South Korea, Estonia-Sweden, Czechia-Great Britain)
1:30 p.m.: Snowboarding: Men’s big air qualifying
3:10 p.m.: Women’s hockey pool play (Finland-Canada)
