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Lindsey Vonn Airlifted to Hospital After Crashing in Competition Ahead of Winter Olympics
Care for a winter spritz?
After all, the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics have officially kicked off in Northern Italy Feb. 6, and 3,000 of the world’s biggest athletes across sports like hockey, figure skating and cross-country skiing are gliding into the ceremony.
During the welcome event, which was set to the theme Armonia, or harmony, NBC Sports’ Terry Gordon and seasoned Olympics reporter Mary Carillo were joined by former Olympic snowboarder Shaun White to comment on the ceremony at the Parade of Nations at San Siro Stadium in Milan. (Today’s Savannah Guthrie was also set to host this year’s Opening Ceremony, but she stepped down Feb. 3 amid the ongoing search for her mother Nancy Guthrie.)
To kick things off, a dance troop donned in Greek angel costumes performing an interpretive dance, which later exploded into technicolor. A slew of new dancers wearing colorful costumes—including one donning moka pot trappings—danced in a round rainbow circle. Later, Mariah Carey performed "Volare," hitting high notes in impeccable Italian, before transitioning into her own song "Nothing is Impossible."
Mariah was announced as an official performer of the Opening Ceremony in December, which she shared in an Instagram post. As the “Obsessed” singer confirmed in Italian in the video at the time, “See you in Milan!”
Meanwhile, athletes have been preparing for these games for much longer. Veteran members of the U.S. Figure Skating Team Evan Bates and Madison Chock recently opened up to E! News about how they plan to honor their late teammates who died in the Washington D.C. plane crash last February during the Olympics.
“I think the honoring those lives and continuing to not take anything for granted would be the best way to pay homage to those victims,” Evan said in a joint January interview alongside wife Madison, who added, “We're so grateful for each day and for the opportunity.”
WANG Zhao / AFP via Getty Images
Olympic hockey player Jack Hughes, for his part, recently shared he was “so pumped” to participate at Milano Cortina alongside 26-year-old brother Quinn Hughes, teasing that the Olympics would be a full-on family affair.
“It's not just me and Quinn that are going over there,” Jack, 24, told E! News in January. “We got a bunch of cousins going over, friends, my parents—everyone that's helped us get to this point can now share with us and experience what we're gonna be doing, too. So, we're just lucky that we have great people behind this.”
For every highlight from the 2026 Opening Ceremony, keep reading…
Henk Jan Dijks/MTB-Photo/Shutterstock
Team Mexico
Hola! The Mexican team waves their flags.
NEIL HALL/EPA/Shutterstock
Team Great Britain
A bunch of mates. Team Great Britain waves the Union Jack.
Henk Jan Dijks/MTB-Photo/Shutterstock
Team Japan
Ready in red. Team Japan reps their county as they walk in the procession.
Henk Jan Dijks/MTB-Photo/Shutterstock
Team Germany
Auf geht's! Team Germany enters the arena.
NEIL HALL/EPA/Shutterstock
Team Finland
On the move. The Finnish team sport blue and white coats as they make their way into the ceremony.
Richard Ellis/UPI/Shutterstock
Team South Korea
Ready to compete. Team South Korea makes a grand entrance.
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Team Albania
Waving their flag. Team Albania walks in from outside the stadium.
Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Team Australia
Getting the crowd hyped up. The athletes from down under don't hold back on their team spirit.
NEIL HALL/EPA/Shutterstock
Team Brazil
The Brazil athletes rep their country, even on the inner lining of their coats.
NEIL HALL/EPA/Shutterstock
Team Czechia
Marching in. The Czechian athletes enter the arena.
Piero CRUCIATTI / AFP via Getty Images
Team Austria
Austrian athletes make their way into the ceremony.
Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Team Argentina
As the ceremony continues, county's begin to file in.
Image Photo Agency/Getty Images
Italy's Pledge
A singer enters to perform the Italian national anthem.
Gabriel BOUYS / AFP via Getty Images
Trapeze Team
After the rings made their grand entrance, two acrobats floated from them to perform a routine.
TERESA SUAREZ/EPA/Shutterstock
Olympics Rings
The Olympics rings descend from the sky to celebrate the winter games
Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Time for the Runway
Armani models, including Vittoria Ceretti who is dating Leonardo DiCaprio, don suits that mimic the Italian flag.
Xinhua/Shutterstock
Artist Homage
An opera singer takes the stage to give an homage to the arts.
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Opera's Best
In a quiet moment, three performers donning the heads of Giuseppe Verdei, Giacomo Puccini, and Gioachino Rossini stand on the stage.
WANG Zhao / AFP via Getty Images
Mariah's Moment
Mariah Carey takes the stage to perform "Volare" and her song "Nothing is Impossible."
WANG Zhao / AFP via Getty Images
Hitting the High Notes
The Grammy winner hits her famous whistle note while singing.
Daniel Derajinski/Icon Sport via Getty Images
Screaming Color
To represent Italy's vibrant art history, three paint tubes float from the ceiling as dancers form a rainbow formation.
PETER KNEFFEL/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock
A Painted Picture
The tubes of paint open to reveal ribbons for the dancers.
Xinhua/Shutterstock
Round Rainbow
A group of rainbow-clad performers dance in a circle.
WANG Zhao / AFP via Getty Images
Coffee's Ready
A slew of colorful dancers fill the stage to represent what Italy offers.
ANP/Shutterstock
Winter Wonderland
Angel dancers filled the stage with winter white.
Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
An Astonishing Moment
The stage is overtaken with dancers to kick off the Opening Ceremony.
Elsa/Getty Images
Greek Dancers
Dancers are adorned in white face paint and even angel wings.
Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
Jean Todt & Michelle Yeoh Sat for Action
Spectators are sat for the ceremony to begin.
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