Overview
- Competition began ahead of the evening ceremony as the 25th Winter Olympics open across sites in Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo and other northern Italian venues.
- The Games feature over 3,500 athletes from 93 countries contesting medals in sixteen sports, marking a far larger scale than past editions in Italy.
- TeamNL lists 38 athletes after NOC*NSF granted a late exception to snowboard crosser Glenn de Blois, who will race next week in Livigno more than 200 kilometers from Milan.
- Shorttracker Jens van ’t Wout and skeleton racer Kimberley Bos carry the Dutch flag at the ceremony, with Bos beginning her Cortina campaign on February 13.
- Brazil’s Bruna Moura, who lives in Nunspeet, qualified for cross‑country skiing, will carry Brazil’s flag, and plans to signal her Dutch ties with an orange balloon.