When do 2026 Winter Olympics start? Date, TV, streaming for Milano Cortina Games

The world’s best athletes in winter sports are competing against one another over the next three weeks, with plenty of stars sure to emerge once this global competition commences.

Athletes with Rochester ties at the Olympics include Pittsford native Chris Lillis, Rochester native Dylan Walczyk and eight Bishop Kearney grads — Rochester native Haley Winn, Caroline Harvey (defender) of New Hampshire, Laila Edwards (forward) of Ohio, Kirsten Simms (forward) of Michigan and Ava McNaughton (goalie) of Pennsylvania. There are three other Kearney grads skating for their respective countries — Nina Christof (forward) of Germany, Jule Schiefer (forward) of Germany and Michaela Hesová (goalie) of Czechia.

Who will be the new Olympic stars to emerge? The first events of the 2026 Winter Olympics start before this year’s opening ceremony, set to be held at Milan’s San Siro Stadium.

Here’s a breakdown of when the 2026 Winter Olympics start, as well as how to watch all the events taking place as part of the Milano Cortina Games:

When do the 2026 Winter Olympics start?

Though the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina officially begin on Friday, Feb. 6, which is also when the opening ceremony is slated to be held, the first events start a couple days earlier. The 2026 Winter Games begin with the start of the curling competition Wednesday, Feb. 4. The Milano Cortina Olympics will then run until Sunday, Feb. 22. The Winter Paralympic Games will begin on March 6 and run until March 15.

Where will the 2026 Winter Olympics be held?

Italy is hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics for the third time, with Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo as the official hosts.

The 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics will be broadcast nationally in the United States by NBC and its partners. Events will be televised on NBC, USA, CNBC. All of the events at the 2026 Winter Games will be streamed exclusively on Peacock.…Read more by Bill Wolcott, Mark Giannotto