Follow every moment of Winter Olympics opening ceremony with live updates
The 2026 Winter Olympics were under way in Milan, Italy, with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance looking on. Team USA is expected to come out into San Siro soon.
Vance, second lady appear at Winter Olympics opening ceremony
Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance were spotted at San Siro as the Winter Olympics opening ceremony took place in Italy. The two were leading the U.S. contingent in Milan.
They were clapping as Italian President Sergio Mattarella and International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry were introduced in the stadium. Former IOC president Thomas Bach was also seated near them.
The U.S. vice president took in the U.S. women’s ice hockey game against the Czech Republic on Thursday. He was with Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the Americans won their first game, 5-1.
Mariah Carey performs ‘Volare’ at Milan Cortina Olympics opening ceremony
Six-time Grammy Award-winning artist Mariah Carey took center stage at the Milan Cortina Olympics opening ceremony on Friday to perform “Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu,” or more commonly known as “Volare,” at San Siro soccer stadium.
Carey serenaded the crowd with a mix of the Italian classic and her own song, “Nothing is impossible,” off her latest album.
The 2026 opening ceremony paid tribute to the host nation’s culture and historical achievements, including music and art, literature and architecture.
Milan Cortina Olympics pay tribute to Italian culture and history in opening ceremony
Thousands of athletes from more than 90 countries have arrived in Italy to compete for Olympic glory at the Milan-Cortina Games. The opening ceremony began with a showcase of Italy’s rich cultural and artistic heritage, featuring tributes to Leonardo da Vinci, Dante and fashion icon Giorgio Armani at Milan’s San Siro Stadium.
Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli headlined the event, joined by acclaimed mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli.
Italy’s arts and film scene was also prominently represented, with actors Pierfrancesco Favino, Sabrina Impacciatore and Matilde De Angelis taking part in the festivities, blending sport, history and culture on a global stage.
Lindsey Vonn stuns during training session
As the Winter Olympics officially get underway, Lindsey Vonn is hoping she can stave off the pain for a few more days and bring home a medal for the U.S.
Vonn, who ruptured her ACL in a devastating crash last week, impressed on the slopes during a training session ahead of the official events.
The 41-year-old champion skier, who holds a record of 12 World Cup wins in Cortina, including six in the downhill, looked aggressive in her first training session. She narrowly cleared one of the gates, but after crossing the finish line, she celebrated with Team USA teammate Breezy Johnson.
Her official training run was completed in 1:40.33. Through 15 competitors, Vonn finished her run in ninth place, less than a second off the lead skier.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this post.
What to know about the Milan Cortina Olympics
With the Winter Olympics officially getting under way today, there are some things sports fans should know about the Milan Cortina Games.
The Winter Games will be hosted in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo – an historic first for the Olympics being that it will be jointly hosted. It will be the first Games held under International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry and the third time it will be held in the country.
There will be 16 different sports on display during the games with 116 medal events.The first medal events will begin on Saturday.
The U.S. finished in third place in total medals in 2022 in Beijing. The Americans were also tied for third place in the number of gold medals with China. Norway and Germany are the two countries that have dominated in winter sports in the last few Winter Games.
Vance, Rubio make their way to women’s ice hockey
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were a part of the delegation that traveled to Milan for the Olympics.
Milan was the first stop on Vance’s trip combining diplomacy and sports as he’s leading President Donald Trump’s delegation to the Winter Olympics, later stopping on Armenia and Azerbaijan. Vance was spotted cheering for the red, white and blue when Alex Carpenter notched the first goal for the Americans.
"The whole country — Democrat, Republican, independent — we’re all rooting for you, and we’re cheering for you," Vance told athletes on Thursday.
Team USA women’s ice hockey didn’t disappoint as they put together a 5-1 win over the Czech Republic.
Team USA stars to know
The United States is mostly known for dominating the competition at the Summer Olympics. Gymnastics, basketball and swimming are among the top sports Americans usually find themselves medaling in. The Winter Olympics has been a little tougher.
The Americans finished third in the medal table at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and fourth in the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. The U.S. finished with the most medals in the 2010 Vancouver Games but only had nine gold medals to show.
The Team USA roster will look to change their fortunes in this year’s Games and, somehow, finish ahead of Norway, Germany and Canada.There are familiar faces and some newcomers that have high expectations this year. Those athletes include Alysa Liu (figure skating), Chloe Kim (snowboarding), Elana Meyers Taylor (bobsled), Erin Jackson (speedskating), Lindsey Vonn (skiing), Hilary Knight (hockey) Madison Chock and Evan Bates (figure skating), Maxim Naumov (figure skating) and Mikela Shiffrin (skiing).
NHL stars are also able to compete in the Olympics this year. It’s the first time the league will be represented since the 2014 Olympics.
Welcome to the Winter Olympics
The 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony is set to begin in Milan. Athletes from each country participating in the Games this month will shuffle through San Siro in what is likely to be the final major event before it is torn down in the last few years.
The 99-year-old arena is home to Inter Milan and AC Milan of Serie A. The soccer clubs plan to knock it down and build a new stadium before Italy hosts the 2032 European Championship with Turkey.
There are 92 National Olympic Committees and Independent Olympic Athletes participating in the Games this year. Russian and Belarusian athletes are able to compete in the Games but under the status of an Individual Neutral Athlete as their countries continue their war in Ukraine.
Benin, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Singapore, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay and Venezuela are participating in these Games but didn’t participate in the 2022 Olympics.
Live Coverage begins here