- - Winter Olympics: What to watch today in Milan Cortina (2/6)

Andy Backstrom February 6, 2026 at 10:20 AM

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Competition for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics began Wednesday, but Friday is when things will feel more real, as the Opening Ceremony will take place and capture the world's eyes.

Even before that, though, there are critical events to follow in Italy.

Here are the top five things to watch today:

1. Opening Ceremony is on tap

Although it will be 8 p.m. in Italy when the Opening Ceremony begins, the event will stream live on Peacock at 2 p.m. ET. It will also be aired in prime time on NBC at 8 p.m. ET. History will be made. In honor of both host cities, Olympic torches will be used to light two separate cauldrons: one in Milan at the Arco della Pace and one in Cortina d’Ampezzo in Piazza Dibona. That's a first for the Games. The ceremony is expected to last approximately three hours, and it will include a parade of athletes from all across the world, plus performances by Mariah Carey, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, Chinese pianist Lang Lang and Italian actor Sabrina Impacciatore.

2. Figure skating gets underway, with U.S. headlining team event

Figure skating begins at this year's Olympics on Friday with the first round of the team event, in which the Americans are the defending champions. That said, they didn't receive their medals until the 2024 Summer Games in Paris because of an extensive investigation into Russian doping that canceled the medal ceremony in Beijing four years ago. Watch out for Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who have won the past three World Championships as dance partners, and are embarking on what's expected to be their final Games. They'll skate the rhythm dance part of the competition. Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea are poised to perform the pairs short program for the U.S., which will turn to world champion Alysa Liu for the women's short program. The Americans' depth should be apparent Friday, but so will the talent of Japan's team, which features world pairs champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara.

3. U.S. back in action in mixed doubles curling after resilient start

Mixed doubles curling will pick up where it left off on Thursday, when Team USA rallied to beat Norway, the defending silver medalists, and followed that up with another win in round-robin competition, defeating Switzerland. On Friday, Americans Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin will face Canada and the Czechia. The Canadians are off to a 2-0 start as well.

4. Women's hockey continues as norovirus outbreak is monitored

Women's hockey got underway Thursday, and the U.S. got off on the right skate, if you will. Team USA took down the Czechia 5-1, an impressive feat considering the Czechs finished at least fourth at each of the previous four World Championships. But a norovirus outbreak that quarantined at least 14 players on the Finnish team postponed its game against Team Canada. On Friday, France will open play against Japan, and Czechia will square off against Switzerland, which notably won a bronze medal in the event during the 2014 Sochi Games.

5. There's already some controversy to follow

The World Anti-Doping Agency addressed a bizarre ski jumping controversy on Thursday. Ski jumpers are alleged to have injected their penises with hyaluronic acid in an attempt to get bigger suits that would help increase the length of their jumps. While no jumpers have been singled out so far, and it's unclear if this falls under WADA's jurisdiction, WADA president Witold Bańka said he would investigate. Whether or not the allegations are true, the world of ski jumping is no stranger to cheating.

Friday, Feb. 6, 2026 (Day 0)

All times ET.

Curling

Mixed doubles round-robin

4:05 a.m.: Sweden vs. Great Britain, Italy vs. Switzerland, USA vs. Canada

8:35 a.m.: Czechia vs. USA, Estonia vs. Italy, South Korea vs. Great Britain, Sweden vs. Norway

Figure Skating

Team competition

3:55 a.m.: Rhythm dance (USA Network coverage begins at 4 a.m.; re-airs on NBC at 12 p.m.)

5:35 a.m.: Pairs short program (USA Network; re-airs on NBC at 12:30 p.m.)

7:35 a.m.: Women’s short program (USA Network)

Hockey

Women's pool play

6:10 a.m.: France vs. Japan

8:40 a.m.: Czechia vs. Switzerland

Opening Ceremony -

2 p.m.: San Siro Stadium (NBC)

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Source: “AOL Sports”