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2026 Winter Olympics officially get underway with opening ceremony in Milan

04:55

Here & Now Newsroom

February 06, 2026

General view of the Olympic rings outside the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on day minus four ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Feb. 02, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

Friday's opening ceremony at San Siro Stadium in Milan marks the official start to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, although several competitions are already underway, including curling, figure skating and snowboarding.

The Games will be taking place across Italy for nearly three weeks, with Milan serving as the city headquarters and Cortina d’Ampezzo hosting the mountain events.

NPR's Eric Whitney talks with Indira Lakshmanan about what to expect.

This segment aired on February 6, 2026.

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