2026 Winter Olympics guide: day-one schedule, key venues, and how Milan–Cortina’s split format works

The 2026 Winter Olympics open with a stadium ceremony in Milan on Friday, Feb. 6, then shift into a true “multi-city” Games on Day 1 (Saturday, Feb. 7): alpine skiing in Bormio, freestyle and snowboard finals in Livigno, sliding in Cortina, and medal sessions that begin early in the U.S. morning. The format is the story as much as the sport—because where an event is held dictates travel time, viewing windows, and how the first weekend feels.

How Milan–Cortina’s split format works

Instead of one compact Olympic park, these Games run across five main clusters:

• Milan (urban hub): the biggest indoor footprint—ice hockey, figure skating, and long-track speed skating—plus the opening ceremony stadium show.

• Cortina d’Ampezzo (mountain hub): curling and the sliding track (luge, bobsleigh, skeleton), with alpine events also staged in the broader mountain network.

• Valtellina (high-speed mountains): Bormio for men’s alpine speed events and Livigno for freestyle skiing and snowboarding (including slopestyle and big air).

• Val di Fiemme: Nordic center for cross-country skiing and ski jumping (and much of Nordic combined), anchored by venues in Tesero and Predazzo.

• Anterselva/Antholz: biathlon valley events later in the schedule.

For viewers, the split format means the broadcast day naturally “follows the sun”: mountain races first, then mid-day indoor sessions, then prime-time finals in Italy that land in the U.S. afternoon.

Day-one schedule: the must-watch events (times in ET)

Italy is 6 hours ahead of Eastern Time in February, so early local starts translate into very early U.S. mornings. Below are the headline sessions for Saturday, Feb. 7.

Beyond these, Day 1 is also packed with qualifying rounds—especially in freestyle skiing and mixed doubles curling—so it’s a strong day for scouting contenders before the medal-heavy second weekend.

Key venues you’ll hear about all week

Because events are spread out, you’ll keep seeing the same venue names in results tickers:

• San Siro (Milan): opening ceremony location, and a reference point for the Games’ “city” side.

• Milano ice venues: where figure skating, speed skating, and major ice hockey games drive the nightly highlights.

• Stelvio Ski Centre (Bormio): a speed-centric alpine venue where the downhill storyline starts fast.

• Livigno Snow Park: the freestyle/snowboard engine room—slopestyle, halfpipe, and big air are built for highlight packages.

• Cortina Sliding Centre: one of the most time-sensitive sports sites; runs can be separated by hundredths, and weather shifts matter.

• Predazzo and Tesero: the Nordic corridor—ski jumping and cross-country set the rhythm of many mid-morning ET sessions.

If you’re planning to follow multiple sports, learning the cluster names is the quickest way to understand why start times swing so much.

How to watch and what time coverage starts

In the U.S., coverage is split between the rights-holder’s main TV channels and its streaming service, with replays typically available after live windows. Outside the U.S., each country’s rights-holder controls what’s live versus tape-delayed.

A practical tip for Day 1: if you want the “eventful” part of the day rather than every qualifier, target 4:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. ET for mountain medals and major sessions, then return around 12:30 p.m. ET for big-air finals and figure skating.

What Day 1 will tell us about the Games

The first Saturday usually answers three questions quickly:

1. Are conditions stable? Speed events and sliding are the earliest stress tests for weather, visibility, and ice preparation.

2. Who looks “Olympic-ready”? The first medal sessions expose which favorites arrived sharp versus rusty.

3. Does the split format feel smooth? With multiple clusters active at once, a clean Day 1 is a signal that logistics and TV timing are working as designed.

By Saturday night in Italy (late afternoon ET), the medal table will already have shape—and the venues that run fastest and cleanest on Day 1 often become the headline engines for the entire first week.

Sources consulted: Reuters, The Associated Press, International Olympic Committee, Milano Cortina 2026 Organizing Committee