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MilanCortina 2026 Set to Open as Officials Address Norovirus Postponement and Village Damage Probe

Organisers face health and security challenges on the eve of competition.

Overview

  • The opening ceremony is scheduled for February 6 at San Siro in Milan, with early competitions already underway after February 4–5 starts in sports including curling and ice hockey.
  • The Finland–Canada women’s ice hockey group game was postponed following a norovirus outbreak affecting the Finnish team, with the teams and organisers agreeing to reschedule.
  • Corriere della Sera, citing police, reported deliberate plumbing damage in about 70 rooms at the Milan Olympic Village, and an investigation is in progress.
  • The 2026 program features the Olympic debut of ski mountaineering with men’s and women’s sprint events and a mixed relay, along with new disciplines such as dual moguls, mixed-team skeleton, women’s doubles luge and a women’s individual ski jump, while two alpine events are removed or reworked.
  • Germany fields its largest Winter Olympic team to date, reported at roughly 183 to 185 athletes, and tops the all-time Winter Games medal table with 435 medals.