The Winter Olympics are upon us. Here's how to follow along

Special Series 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics The Winter Olympics are upon us. Here's how to follow along February 4, 20265:00 AM ET By Rachel Treisman An advertisement for the 2026 Winter Olympics stands near Piazza Duomo in the co-host city of Milan, Italy, in the lead-up to the opening ceremony. Maja Hitij/Getty Images hide caption Want more Olympics updates? Get our behind-the-scenes newsletter for what it's like to be at these Games. It's the Winter Olympics, that special season every four years in which everyone you know is suddenly an expert on luge strategy and curling technique from the comfort of their couch. There's plenty to dive into this year, at the unusually spread-out Milan Cortina Olympics. the Hundreds of athletes from around the world — including 232 from the U.S. — will descend on over two dozen venues across northern Italy to compete in 16 different sports. There are 116 medal events on the line throughout the 2 1/2 weeks. And this time, unlike the COVID-era 2022 Beijing Winter Games, spectators will be allowed to watch in person. But you don't have to board a plane or sport hand warmers to get a good view, thanks to NBC's robust broadcasting rights and NPR's scrappy team of journalists on the ground. Here's how to follow the action — and peek behind the curtain — from home. The Feb. 6 opening ceremony marks the official start of the Games (even though several sports, including curling and ice hockey, start competing two days earlier). It will be held primarily at the historic San Siro Stadium in Milan, featuring performances by icons like Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli, as well as traditional elements like the Parade of Nations and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron. The 2022 Winter Olympics No medals for 2022 Beijing Olympics. The Games drew their lowest U.S. ratings ever But there will also be simultaneous ceremonies and athlete parades at some of the other venues — scattered hundreds of miles apart — and, for the first time in history, a second Olympic cauldron will be lit in the co-host city of Cortina d'Ampezzo. NBC's live coverage of the opening ceremony (also streaming on Peacock) will begin at 2 p.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 6, with a prime-time broadcast planned for 8 p.m. ET the same day. There are 16 days of competition between the opening and closing ceremonies, with contests and medal events scattered throughout, depending on the sport. Here's the full schedule (events are listed in local time in Italy, which is six hours ahead of Eastern time). NBC says it will broadcast events live throughout the day, with a nightly prime-time highlights show at 8 p.m. ET, followed by a late-night version. The 2022 Winter Olympics 9 moments that resonated at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics U.S.-based viewers can watch on NBC, Peacock and a host of other platforms, including the apps and websites of both NBC and NBC Sports. Seasoned Olympic viewers will recognize Peacock viewing experiences like "Gold Zone" (which whips around between key moments, eliminating the need to channel surf) and "Multiview," now available on mobile. The Feb. 22 closing ceremony will be broadcast live starting at 2:30 p.m. ET, and again on prime time at 9 p.m. ET. It will take place at a historic amphitheater in Verona, which will also host the opening ceremony of the Paralympics on March 6. Some 600 Para athletes will compete in 79 medal events across six sports — including Para Alpine skiing, sled hockey and wheelchair curling — before the closing ceremony in Cortina on March 15. All the while, you can check out NPR's Olympics coverage to better understand the key people, context and moments that make up the Games. NPR's five-person Olympics team will bring you news, recaps and color from the ground in Italy, online, on air and in your inbox. Plus, expect updates and the occasional deep dive from NPR's journalists watching from D.C. and around the world. 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics You can find all of NPR's Winter Olympics stories (past, present and upcoming) here on our website. To listen to our broadcast coverage, tune to your local NPR station and stream our radio programming on npr.org or the NPR app. Plus, subscribe to our newsletter, Rachel Goes to the Games, for a daily dose of what it's like to be there in person. We'll also have a video podcast, Up First Winter Games, to further dissect the day's biggest Olympic stories and oddities. You can find it on NPR's YouTube page. Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor