While the 2026 Winter Olympics events start on Wednesday, the official start of the huge global event is on Friday with the traditional opening ceremony.

Team Brazil and Team Mongolia understood the assignment. IThe 2026 Olympic Games are finally here. The 25th Winter Olympiad kicked off tonight in Milan with the traditional Opening Ceremony. Each host city takes creative liberties with the entertainment portion of the program.

A sort of wintery Praetorian guard. This is Kirsty Coventry's first Games since being elected IOC President last March. As the first female IOC President, this will be the first time the Olympics is officially declared open by a woman.

What time is the Winter Olympics opening ceremony? - The Winter Olympics officially get underway on Friday 6 February with the Opening Ceremony

Carey was the big draw at Milan’s San Siro, but she was outweighed by pop-classical artists – and a sizeable dollop of kitsch

The Winter Olympics opening ceremony gets going in just a few hours’ time in Milan’s 76,000-capacity San Siro stadium, with Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli on the bill. But regardless of whether you know your luge from your curling,

It is common for Winter Olympics to be staged between different venues across a country, with Turin 2006 being held in various locations across Italy, the last time the country staged the games. There is live coverage on the BBC and Discovery+ in the UK, as well as daily highlights, available on TV, online and for streaming.