Greece's Olympic Team looks to skier Alexandros Ioannis Ginnis for its first medal in the Winter Games starting in the Italian Alps.

Here's what to know about the Parade of Nations in the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony and how the country order is determined.

Get the latest news on the Milan Cortina Olympics. The opening ceremony kicked off the 2026 Winter Games on Friday, Feb. 6.

The Winter Olympics began with a rare dual-city opening in Italy, with Greece leading tradition at the 25th Winter Games.

But, a handful of countries are surprising analysts and ranking higher than expected. One of those countries is Japan, which sits at No. 10 in the medal count as of the end of the Games on Thursday. Another one is Australia, which only has one lone gold medal, but that still puts them at No. 14 on the ranking.

Every torch has a designer. For the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, that designer is MIT engineer and architect Carlo Ratti. A winter sports enthusiast, Ratti owns the architectural firm Carlo Ratti Associati and is originally from Turin,

Americans who top the podium at the Milan Cortina Games will be in line for a $37,500 bonus. Their competitors could collect as much as $800,000.

The Olympic torch is a symbol of peace and unity , passed around the world in the spirit of co-operation, and for each Games, the host country designs a unique torch that often has references to a national landmark or a piece of history. Lighting the cauldron is a symbolic way to start the Games, and it is extinguished during the Closing Ceremony.

Mariah Carey took center stage to help kick off the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony at 100-year-old San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy.

Many Olympic venues are left to decay after the events are over. See what these cities have done with the facilities after their games ended.