The 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony officially kicks off the Milano-Cortina Games with performances, the Parade of Nations and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.

Cyprus will be represented by one male and one female athlete at the 25th Winter Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina, marking the country’s first two-athlete participation in the Winter Games in 12 years,

There will be 93 countries, plus numerous athletes from Russia and Belarus, competing at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

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.

GENEVA (AP) — Olympic winter sports must be played on snow and ice, according to the Olympic Charter. But could a muddy field of play get its chance at a future Winter Games, even as soon as in the French Alps in 2030 or Salt Lake City in 2034?