2026 Winter Olympics live updates: Opening ceremony preparation for Milan Cortina Games underway

Burned in Zach Werenski’s memory is the first U.S. practice at the 4 Nations Face-Off last February.

Zach Werenski of the United States warms up before the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game against Canada in February 2025. Ben Jackson/4NFO / 4NFO / World Cup of Hockey via Getty Images file

“You look around and see the skill,” Werenski said. “I was like, ‘This is fast.’ It’s wave after wave, player after player.”

He and his countrymen fell short at that tournament, which was designed to be an appetizer of sorts for the return of NHL players to the Olympics. Over the summer, when the country’s best gathered again for an orientation camp ahead of the Winter Games, USA Hockey general manager Bill Guerin told them that nothing but gold would suffice.

The U.S. has not won a so-called best-on-best international competition at the adult level in three decades, dating to the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. It has not won men’s gold at the Olympics since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team.

The overflowing talent and the winning pedigree of the players going to Italy make Guerin’s expectation appear more realistic than ever.

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“TODAY” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie will not host the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony as Arizona authorities continue to investigate her mother’s possible abduction.

“Savannah will not be joining us at the Olympics as she focuses on being with her family during this difficult time,” an NBC Sports spokesperson said in a statement today. “Our hearts are with her and the entire Guthrie family as the search continues for their mother. We will share additional information about our Opening Ceremony coverage plans soon.”

Savannah Guthrie had been set to depart for Italy this week to co-host with Terry Gannon. She was to have been joined later by former “TODAY” co-host Hoda Kotb for the rest of the Games.

Read the full story here.

Shaun White joined the "Stifel Snow Show" to discuss the U.S. snowboarders competing at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, the progression of the sport, the Snow League and more.

Italy’s women’s ice hockey team comes into its home Winter Olympics as underdogs, but coach Eric Bouchard told Reuters today that his side wants to shock the hockey world.

Bouchard has been in the job only since late October, but after a training camp in his native Canada, he is confident he has had enough time with the players.

“The group has been so dialed in for me since my beginning with the team,” he said.

“I like the response of the group. The leadership group has been phenomenal. And the 2½ months we had in Montreal was really like a step in the right direction for us. And we’re looking forward to the first game.”

With 232 American athletes headed to Italy (the largest U.S. team in Winter Olympics history), the United States could challenge its records for gold medals (10 in Salt Lake City in 2002) and for total medals at a single Winter Games (37 in Vancouver in 2010). 

The U.S. has won more than 30 medals at only those two Olympic Winter Games (34 in 2002 and 37 in 2010). Four years ago in Beijing, the U.S. won 25 medals, nine of them gold. 

Norway has won the most medals in Olympic Winter Games history (406), and it enters Milan Cortina with 76 more medals than any other nation (the U.S. is second with 330).

The 2026 U.S. Olympic figure skating women’s team — Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito — enlists the help of a Barbie to describe the sport’s most challenging elements.

MILAN — Spanish figure skater Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate said yesterday he will not be allowed to use the music from the “Minions” film franchise that he has skated to throughout the season at the Milano Cortina Games because of a copyright clearance issue. 

Guarino Sabate, a six-time Spanish champion set to make his Olympic debut, said he followed all required procedures and submitted the music through the ISU ClicknClear system in August.

“Unfortunately, just days before the Olympic inauguration, I was informed that I am no longer permitted to use this program due to copyright clearance issues,” he posted on social media.

Guarino Sabate, 26, dressed in a yellow T-shirt and blue overalls during his performance to resemble the popular animated characters. The “Minions” franchise is owned by Illumination, which is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures. (NBC News is a division of Universal's parent company, Comcast NBCUniversal.)

Guarino Sabate said he chose the music to bring joy and a playful style to the ice and show that “skating as a male Olympic figure skater can be fun."

Like everyone else, Dr. John Torres saw the stunning news today: American skier Lindsey Vonn tore her ACL during a recent training run but still planned to compete at the Milan Cortina Games. The women's downhill, one of her best events, is scheduled for Sunday.

“From a medical perspective, that’s a very tough uphill battle she’s got in front of her," said Torres, a medical contributor for NBC News. "That ACL is extremely important to keeping that knee stable, and keeping that knee stable is extremely important to her sport.”

Vonn said she would wear a brace and test her pain tolerance. Torres noted that the brace should provide some stability but said skiing with an injured knee, regardless of the brace, could lead to further injury.

The other knee "is going to take a lot more stress, and that’s going to throw off how she takes the curves, how she takes the turns,” Torres said.

If her skiing mechanisms are off, he added, “that can throw her off enough to make her slip, make her slide, make her fall again. That’s the concern.”

Lindsey Vonn at a news conference today. Ezra Shaw / Getty Images

Italy has previously hosted two Winter Games (Cortina in 1956, Torino in 2006) and one Summer Games (Rome in 1960).

It is the third nation to host the Winter Olympics three or more times, along with the United States (four) and France (three).

The Winter Olympics return to Italy for the first time in 20 years after the 2006 Torino Games, which featured several notable moments, including snowboarder Shaun White’s first career Olympic half-pipe gold. The 1956 Winter Games were held in Cortina d’Ampezzo, making 2026 the second time Cortina has hosted an Olympics (it will be the first for Milan). 

The Olympic Rings in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Mattia Ozbot / Getty Images

American speedskater Greta Myers posted a video on social media today of her and other Team USA members on stationary bikes, pedaling away. She captioned the video "sweat zone." Casey Dawson, another American speedskater, said athletes had "commandeered a floor in the Team USA house just for cycling."

NBC News spoke with Myers and Dawson at the Milan Olympic Village this morning.

For Myers, 21, a native of Minnesota, this is her first Olympics, a whole new experience. She said being there was a “childhood dream." Though she said she was “not a pasta girly,” she has been enjoying the focaccia. She has also been making good use of the facilities: “We need the gym a lot. We lift, we bike, do yoga."

Dawson, 25, of Utah, competed at the 2022 Games in Beijing, where he won a bronze medal. He noted that "it was all shut down last time" because of the pandemic. This year, he said, “we can go outside the village, check out the city. We get to mingle with all the other athletes in the different countries."

Dawson is a medal hopeful, and he said he was looking forward to “skating for everyone I know and skating for my hometown, skating for the U.S.”

From left, Ethan Cepuran, Emery Lehman and Casey Dawson of the U.S. compete in men's team pursuit during the ISU World Cup speedskating event in Kearns, Utah, on Nov. 16. Matthew Stockman / International Skating Union via Getty Images

The last time a new discipline was introduced to the Winter Olympics, "American Idol" had just premiered. Skeleton debuted at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and for 24 years, the status quo remained. Not anymore. Ski mountaineering will make its way into competition at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games, with sprint and mixed relay events.

Skimo combines elements of cross-country skiing, climbing and downhill, with competitors racing through a course to achieve the best time. During an initial ascent, athletes wear adhesive skins on the bottoms of their skis, which enable them to ski uphill. Then, an on-foot part requires quick ski removal and a speed hike. Once they are at the mountaintop, “skimoers” snap back into their ski boots and race downhill to the finish line. 

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Vonn reminded everyone at a media briefing today that she raced without a functioning ACL before the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

“I didn’t know that it was fully torn at the time, and I raced on it several times,” she said.

Vonn ultimately withdrew from the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics because of an ACL injury.

“The biggest issue that I'm concerned about and that I'm looking for is instability in the joint,” she said. “Your ACL is really what keeps your knee in place. Without that, there can be shifting. Your bones kind of shift over each other. It's not a great feeling.”

Vonn said that she isn’t experiencing that instability and that she is wearing a brace to keep the knee as stable as possible and prevent further damage before she plans to compete.

When Vonn retired from skiing in 2019, she was the winningest woman in the sport. Injuries had slowed her down. She announced her return to skiing in 2024 and had high hopes for the Milan Cortina Games, where she would be competing this month at 41 years old.

Then came news that she had ruptured her ACL during a recent crash in training. At a news conference today, she said her comeback was not over, not yet, despite the injury.

“I am not letting this slip through my fingers,” she said. “I’m not crying. My head is high, I’m standing tall, and I’m going to do my best and whatever the result is.”

Lindsey Vonn says she will compete in Winter Olympics after injury

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The swelling is down and she’s not in any pain, Vonn said. She will try to compete wearing a knee brace.

“I have to take it day by day. My goal is obviously right now the downhill,” she said.

“I have to see how it feels. If it’s stable and I feel confident, I’ll continue to race. That is my goal, obviously, but I can’t tell you that answer until I actually ski 80 mph, and then I’ll tell you."

Lindsey Vonn ruptured her ACL in a recent World Cup crash, but will still try to compete at the Milan Cortina Olympics, she said today.

“I know what my chances were before the crash and I know my chances aren’t the same as it stands today,” she told reporters.

“But I know there’s still a chance, and as long as there’s a chance, I will try.”

Vonn was skiing in the downhill event at the Alpine Ski World Cup in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on Friday when she lost control coming out of a jump.

She crashed into a safety net and began favoring her left leg. Vonn was eventually airlifted to a hospital for further evaluation.

Heavy snow fell on Tuesday on the northern Italian mountain venues that will host the ski events at the Milano Cortina Olympics, helping to provide a fitting backdrop for the Games.

Livigno, which will stage snowboarding and freestyle skiing, woke up to soft snow on Tuesday which increased in intensity in the morning.

The snow blanketed the Alpine town where the FIS (International Ski and Snowboard Federation) had previously raised concerns over snow levels for the competitions.

“Snow conditions are great here,” said American snowboarder Ollie Martin. “It’s really nice to see that somewhere there is a lot of snow. Back in Colorado, we are struggling a little bit. It’s nice to see a good amount of snow here.”

A speedskater from Florida who won Olympic gold in Beijing four years ago and a bobsledder from Maine making his second Olympic appearance will carry the U.S. flag at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy, officials announced this morning.

Erin Jackson, Frank Del Duca to carry Olympic flag for Team USA

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Bobsledder Frank Del Duca, a pilot in bobsledding who competed in the 2022 Beijing Games, and Erin Jackson, who won a gold medal in Beijing, were announced as the flag bearers by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee.

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Nick Baumgartner, who won a gold medal in the 2022 Olympic Games in the snowboard cross event, talks with NBC News NOW about trying to stay resilient after facing disappointment and how he feels entering his fifth Games as a 43-year-old.

"This is my 21st season on the U.S. snowboard team. So I've been at this for a long time," Baumgartner said. "And what I lack in youth and that fast-twitch muscles, I make up for with wisdom and experience on the track."

Snowboarding gold medalist Nick Baumgartner talks competing in his fifth Olympics

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One of the Games' official mascots, Tina, is a curious stoat pictured driving through a wintry scene with the rooftop open.

Workers could be seen tending to the giant artwork on a crane this morning.

Matteo Moschella / NBC News

Canadian pairs skater Deanna Stellato-Dudek was ruled out of the team event due to an injury sustained during training in Quebec, Team Canada said in a statement.

"Stellato-Dudek’s condition and readiness for the individual pairs event is being assessed on a day-by-day basis," the statement said. "Athlete health and safety is our number one priority."

Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Canada compete in Japan in December. Tang Xinyu / VCG via Getty Images file

Stellato-Dudek’s remarkable career saw her win the 2024 world title alongside her partner, Maxime Deschamps. She was set to make her Olympic debut at the age of 42 after quitting figure skating for 16 years and making a comeback at 33.

She could still compete in the individual pairs event, scheduled for Feb. 15 and 16.

Australian freestyle skier Laura Peel hurt her knee in a training camp ahead of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, raising doubts about her participation in a fourth Games.

The 36-year-old Peel is a two-time world champion and one of the favorites to win the women’s aerials.

She sustained the injury in Switzerland on Monday, the Australian team said in a statement, and had a scan at a sports specialist clinic.

“She has returned to the training camp in Airolo, Switzerland where she’ll be treated by the team physio to determine next steps,” the team said Tuesday.

The women’s aerials qualification starts on Feb. 17.

Peel has never won an Olympic medal. She was one of the favorites in aerials in Beijing in 2022 but finished in fifth place, and was also at Pyeongchang in 2018 and Sochi in 2014.

Ilia Malinin, Andrew Torgashev and Maxim Naumov will represent Team USA in Milan Cortina.

Snowboarder Maddy Schaffrick sits down with Angie Lassman to talk about her road to the 2026 Winter Olympics.

She opens up about why she decided to step away from snowboarding at 20 years old, what inspired her to come back to the sport and more.

Snowboarder Maddy Schaffrick opens up about 2026 Olympics

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Former Team USA hockey captain Mike Eruzione, goalie Jim Craig and star forwards Rob McLanahan and Buzz Schneider join "TODAY" to talk about the new Netflix documentary “Miracle: The Boys of ’80” and look back at their gold medal win against the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, during the height of the Cold War.

They also share what they have told current players set to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

‘Miracle on Ice’ players reflect on their legendary Olympic win

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Paris had the Phryges, Beijing had Bing Dwen Dwen, and Milan Cortina has Tina and Milo.

Tina, left, and Milo, the mascots of the Milan Cortina Olympic and Paralympic Games, stand on stage in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, on Jan. 26. Odd Andersen / AFP via Getty Images

The little animals that will come to be emblematic of the 2026 Games are stoats, extremely cute critters that in real life are related to the weasel and the otter.

In Milan Cortina lore, the mascots are siblings who stumbled upon a light that they followed to the Winter Games. They're also Gen Z, according to the organizing committee.

“Stoats, with their liveliness, agility and speed, are the ideal animals to embody the contemporary Italian spirit guiding the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026,” the committee said.

Tina is the mascot for the Olympics, and her brother, Milo, is the Paralympic Games mascot. He was born without a leg but learned to use his tail instead. Their names are derived from the host cities.

Tina and Milo also have some friends, six flowers collectively named the Flo, which resemble snowdrops.

The United States will send its largest-ever contingent of winter athletes to Italy for the Milan Cortina Olympics as a whopping 232 people will represent the Stars and Stripes.

The full Team USA roster was unveiled last month, with athletes from 32 states headed overseas to battle for gold.

Here are some facts and figures about who will make up the latest Olympic squad:

• 98 athletes will be returning to the Olympics for at least the second time, including seven making their fifth appearances.
• 84 members of Team USA are current or former NCAA varsity athletes, according to the NCAA, which is roughly 36% of the roster.
• The youngest athlete on the roster is freeskier Abby Winterberger, who is 15. The oldest is 54-year-old curler Rick Ruohonen.

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