Feb 06, 2026
3 min read
We provide exclusive insights, great services, key decisions, special moments, curiosities and funny things from the Olympic Games in Milan Cortina on the live blog.
Milan Cortina to 2026 Olympics Live Blog: Draisaitl Stayed in Milan
We provide exclusive information, great coverage, the biggest decisions, special events, trivia and fun from the Italian Olympics on the live blog.
Volunteers are so important
Major sporting events such as the Olympics thrive on volunteerism.18,000 people from all over the world are volunteers at the Winter Olympics in Italy.Whether it is as a helper at the competition venues, as a driver or as a contact person for all sorts of questions, the Games would probably not be a success without the many volunteers.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic carries the Olympic torch
The Olympic torch relay completed its final leg before the opening ceremony last Friday night in Milan.Among the torchbearers on the streets of Milan is Swedish football legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic.Rapper Snoop Dogg is one of the torchbearers on the 12,000 kilometer route in Milan.
Figure skating: USA leads in team events
The U.S. figure skating team confirmed its status as the favorite in the team competition.The Beijing Olympics has 25 points after the ice dance (rhythm), doubles and women's singles (both short events) and after the first day of the competition in Japan he took first place.(23) and Italy (22).Runners from the top five countries are ranked in the overall standings.US superstar Ilia Malinin will compete in a short men's program on Saturday (live at 7:45 a.m. on ARD).The German Ice Skating Union (DEU) does not have a team in Milan.
Leon Draisaitl - German standard holder in an interview.
He made it just in time!German ice hockey star Leon Driestral arrived in Milan in time for the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics.The NHL's top scorer for the Edmonton Oilers landed at Milan Airport on Friday morning and will fly the German flag during the opening ceremony at Gasp Mezza Stadium that evening.The 30-year-old spoke about his Special Olympics talent and national team (medal) goals in an interview ahead of his big appearance.
The knee: Vonn finishes training
A week after her death, climbing star Lindsey Vonn successfully completed her first Olympic training session.Competing with a torn ligament in her left knee, the American woman showed strong and safe riding in practice in Cortina d'Ampezzo.German Kira Weidle-Winkelmann also led an interesting training session.Meanwhile teammate and co-favourite Emma Aicher struggled and lost a few goals (women's downhill practice repeat).Nevertheless,The group of favorites in the women's downhill at this race is bigger than it has been in a long time.
This is how figure skating works
This morning, figure skaters began Olympic competition with a team ride.Jumps, pirouettes and choreography: technique and expression are essential in figure skating.In the video we explain the rules, points and scoring system.
Italian fashion at the 2026 Olympics
2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy's fashion capital.However, these games require 18,000 volunteers to be properly equipped.The motto of many volunteers' uniforms is: functional, warm and above all, stylish.Because clothing is also Italy's calling card, as is the upcoming opening ceremony.See the final preparations before the Friday evening ceremony.
Tina the Milos – maskoti her
The Olympic and Paralympic symbols have been in place since the 1972 Munich Games.Her choice always causes discussion and excitement.Tina Stott will be the mascot for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.The white fur stone is named after its host city, Cortina.Stoth, the sister of Paralympic mascot Milo, is always accompanied by six small snowflakes ("The Flow").
Long Distance Olympics
For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, the opening ceremony will take place in several places at the same time: in Milan, but also in Cortina, Predazzo and Livigno.The reasons are the large distances between individual competition venues; for example, there is a distance of 400 kilometers between Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.So the Olympic Games are a long way off.
San Siro stadium - first opening, then demolition
The opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics on Friday (8:00 p.m., live on ARD) is one of the last major highlights of the stadium in Milan's San Siro district.The nearly 100-year-old Stadio Guiseppe Meazza has seen two World Cups and a European Championship, and the world's biggest stars of sport and culture have appeared there.planned as a parking lot for the European Championships in 2032. Before that, San Siro experienced the Olympic opening ceremony, which included stars like Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli - and of course plenty of athletes from around the world.
NHL star Tim Stutzler: "A huge honor"
German national hockey player Tim Stutzl is traveling to the Winter Olympics with a lot of anticipation in his luggage."It's a great honor for every athlete to represent at the Olympics," the Ottawa Senators said before departing for Italy."The fact that we have someone carrying the (Draisaitl) flag in Lyon is very cool. We are trying to represent our country well."
In the last NHL game before leaving for Italy, Stützle led his team to victory.Stützle earned an emphatic 2-1 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, giving his team their fifth victory in their last six games.The ship enters a port in Denmark and is expected to arrive on February 12 at 12:00.
Snoop Dogg at Ty Beim Curling
Speaking of rappers: American star Snoop Dogg has proven his status as the "honorary coach" of Team USA.During Friday morning's mixed doubles curling match between the United States and Canada, the Olympic and Paralympic Committee's "Coach Snoopy" was in the stands cheering on the American pair.“The American athletes are the real stars,” Coach Snoop said last December.I am coming.” Momentum seemed to work and Team USA won 7-5.
Problems with the Italian national anthem
Shortly before the official start of the Winter Games, there was a problem with the performance at the opening ceremony in Milan: Italian rapper Ghali said he was excluded from singing the Italian national anthem.The 32-year-old is an artist who is scheduled to perform at the opening ceremony at the San Siro Stadium.The song was sung by Italian singer Laura Poussini.
Ghali, whose last name is Amduni, wrote on Instagram: "I know why I was not allowed to sing the Italian national anthem. However, he could not give a detailed explanation.
The first episode of the Olympics podcast
The Olympics Podcast Begins: Olympic hosts Stephanie Müller-Spira and Alex Schluter begin the mission of the 2026 Olympic Games. There are sports fans who love winter sports Steeler and German flag bearers are loaded.
Everything you need to know about the opening ceremony
Tonight (live at 8 p.m. on ARD) the 2026 Winter Olympics will be opened with a ceremony.The hosts are taking an unusual approach.For the first time, the celebration will not just take place in the middle of nowhere.Questions and answers about the event can be found here.
Biathlon star honors dead cycling idol
A touching gesture for the late idol: French biathlete Emilien Jacquelin will wear earrings from Italian cycling legend Marco Pantani at the Winter Olympics.“Her family lent them to me so I could take them here in Italy,” Jacquelin wrote in a post on Instagram, where the multiple biathlon world champion was also seen wearing the earrings.
“Marco is the person who inspired me in sport,” said the Frenchman.According to the 2022 two-time silver medalist, he first got a videotape from his father about the 1998 Tour de France. "Since then, I have not stopped admiring this pirate." Pantani's life ended on February 14, 2004, when the Italian was found dead in a hotel room in Rimini at the age of 34.
We look forward to seeing you on Friday, February 6, 2026
The Olympic Games will officially begin on Friday.In the evening, the opening ceremony will be held simultaneously in four locations.Katrina Schmid will fly the German flag at Predazzo and Leon Draisthal in Milan.Before this, the men's final downhill training will start early in the morning and during the day, the guests will play mixed doubles curling matches.
You can view all Olympic events in a detailed schedule.
