02/07/26 11:20Valérie Maltais wins bronze in women’s 3000m long track speed skating
– Robyn Doolittle
Valérie Maltais celebrates winning a bronze medal in women’s 3000m speed skating.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
Long track speed skater Valérie Maltais has won Canada’s first medal of the Milan Cortina Winter Games – a bronze – in the women’s 3000m race on Saturday at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium.
The women’s 3000m was also Canada’s first medal at the Beijing Games, when Maltais’s teammate Isabelle Weidemann – who placed fifth in Saturday’s event – also took bronze. In her Olympic debut, Canadian Laura Hall placed 13th.
Maltais finished the race with a time of 3:56.93 behind Italian Francesca Lollobrigida – who set an Olympic record with a time of 3:54.28 – and Norway’s Ragne Wiklund.
This is Maltais’s third Olympic medal. She is among just a handful of athletes in the world – and the first Canadian – to have won medals in both long and short track skating.
Maltais, 35, began her career as a short track skater, winning a silver medal as part of the 3000m relay team at the 2014 Sochi Games. At the Beijing games in 2022 she won gold in long track’s team pursuit.
This is Maltais’s fifth Olympic Games.
Open this photo in gallery:02/07/26 11:1010 athletes from around the world to watch at the Olympics
– Moira Wyton
Bruce Mouat of Team Great Britain during the mixed doubles round robin match.Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
From sporting legends to future household names, Olympians from around the world will be looking to make their marks in Italy.
On the mountain, Chinese freestyle skier Eileen Gu is aiming to defend her titles in big air and halfpipe, and pick-up the slopestyle gold she narrowly missed in Beijing. American downhill queen Lindsay Vonn is fighting through a recently-torn ACL to make her Olympic comeback at age 42 before she retires for good this year, and dominant U.S. teammate Mikaela Schiffrin is looking for redemption after the skier’s 2022 Games ended in disappointment.
On the ice, 21-year-old American figure skater Ilia Malinin is the favourite to win gold and potentially anchor the U.S. to a title in the team event, after the “Quad God” became the first skater to successfully land a fully rotated quadruple axel jump in competition. And Great Britain’s Bruce Mouat will be stiff competition for Canada in men’s curling – his team has been No. 1 for a record-setting 65 weeks, but Olympic gold is the only prize that’s eluded them.
Here are 10 athletes from around the world to watch as Milan Cortina 2026 gets under way.
02/07/26 10:45Disrupted by norovirus spread, Team Canada tries to flip upheaval into a positive
– Grant Robertson
Canada players and staff during training at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena.Susana Vera/Reuters
In the face of a norovirus spread that has shaken up the women’s Olympic hockey tournament, players on Team Canada say they have been trying to use the disruption to their advantage.
While most of their rivals have already seen Olympic action, Canada was instead waiting on the sidelines for the first few days. Healthy but with no games to play, the squad drew up a new strategy: a nighttime practice, team bonding at the athletes village, and acclimatizing themselves to the Milan time zone became their new priorities.
“We got to use that opportunity that night as an extra time to practice and kind of get into a sleep routine here because we have some later games throughout the tournament,” said Canadian forward Jennifer Gardiner, who is making her Olympic debut in Milan.
“Just taking every single disadvantage and using that to our advantage,” she said.
The team has stayed upbeat amid the upheaval, Gardiner said.
“I think it is what you make of it. If you talk about it and let it kind of creep in, it’s going to create noise for the group and everything, but I think our team specifically is just kind of playing with the cards that we’re dealt,” she said.
02/07/26 10:35Olympic tourists in Cortina can explore the Dolomites with the new ‘Uber Snowmobile’ serviceOpen this photo in gallery:
Cortina and the Dolomites at sunrise.Andrew Wevers/Getty Images
For one month starting on Saturday, Olympic spectators keen for a side trip to a UNESCO World Heritage Site can use Uber to reserve a ride on a snowmobile along the snow-covered road to the base of the Three Peaks of Lavaredo.
The dramatic, jagged limestone pinnacles stand just 23 kilometres from the Cortina venues where athletes are competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
One of the Olympic torchbearers, Giulia Baffetti, runs snowmobiling tours through Cortina-based winter activities outfit Snowdreamers. The company partnered with Uber, the official ride-hailing sponsor for the Games, to offer free tours on the weekends in February to people in town.
“Uber Snowmobile” tours, which can only be booked through Uber, include a ride in an Uber transfer bus for up to eight people from Cortina to the spot where riders mount their snowmobiles for departure. Tourgoers then follow the instructor, who leads the line of snowmobiles.
The three peaks are a magical place, Baffetti said, and this is a way for more people to experience it. Hikers and climbers flock there in the warmer months. In the winter, it’s a prime spot for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and sledding. Snowmobiling is allowed in a limited area in order to protect the environment.
“We want to give an experience to the tourists, so they can feel the mountains in a different way,” she said.
– The Associated Press
02/07/26 10:20Just Canadians doing Canadian things02/07/26 10:00Mariah Carey’s Olympic act prompts questions about possible lip-syncing and a curious teleprompterOpen this photo in gallery:
Singer Mariah Carey performs during the Olympic opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.Natacha Pisarenko/The Associated Press
The performance by pop star Mariah Carey at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics opening ceremony was the talk of the town – but it also raised a few questions.
She received rave reviews from many, who called her marvellous and touted her high notes.
But her performance Friday also prompted a good deal of criticism online, where commenters were confused why an Italian singer wasn’t given the honour. Some noted a large teleprompter with a phonetic breakdown of the song’s Italian lyrics, while others wondered if she was lip-syncing.
Asked Saturday if Carey was lip-syncing, Milan Cortina’s director of ceremonies Maria Laura Iascone dodged the question and instead praised her as “really extraordinary.”
She said that “in order to be on the safe side,” they always record performances ahead of time for internationally broadcast events.
She didn’t directly address if Carey was lip-syncing and said the singer wasn’t paid for her performance.
A large teleprompter was visible inside the stadium, spelling out phonetically how Carey should sing the Italian words. “Voh-lah-reh,” it read for “Volare.” And “Nell blue Dee-peen-toe D blue” for “Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu.”
When asked about it, Iascone said “of course” there was a teleprompter.
– The Associated Press
02/07/26 09:35This Canadian Olympic biathlete is standing out on social media – for his knitting project
Canadian biathlete Adam Runnalls’ Instagram account has exploded with knitters.
Since the 27-year-old Calgarian began posting a few days before the Milan Cortina Winter Games about his quest to finish knitting a sweater by the closing ceremonies, knitters have joined him on his Olympic journey.
“I started five or six days ago at like 1,600 followers, and now I have 10,000,” Runnalls said Friday. “I will go to bed and wake up the next day and have a thousand more followers than I did when I went to bed.”
Among the Insta posts, Florida Cat Mom admonished Runnalls for letting his ball of yarn run amok and told him to get a yarn bowl. Another poster advised him on his knitting technique.
The two-time Olympian’s first race is Sunday’s mixed relay at the Antholz-Anterselva Biathlon Arena north of Cortina.
Runnalls will race in up to six events. Knitting will be his mental and physical escape.
– The Canadian Press
02/07/26 09:2010 Canadian athletes to watch at the Olympics
– Chris O’Leary
Laura Stacey, Marie-Philip Poulin and Blayre Turnbull during a training session at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena on Wednesday.Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Milan Cortina will mark the return of numerous household names. Look out for “Captain Clutch” – women’s hockey player Marie-Philip Poulin – as she tries to add a fourth Olympic gold medal to her name.
Three-time Olympic bronze medalist Mark McMorris is hoping to capture his elusive gold in men’s slopestyle despite a crash in training, and Canada’s women’s curling team is aiming to end their 12-year gold medal drought.
Hockey superstar Connor McDavid will also make his debut, along with 24-year-old speed-skating phenom Will Dandjinou.
Read the full list of 10 Canadian Olympians to keep your eye on here.
02/07/26 08:55Swiss and Italian skiers triumph in men’s downhill, winning first Olympic medals
– Eric Reguly
Gold medallist Franjo von Allmen of Switzerland with silver medalist Giovanni Franzoni of Italy and bronze medalist Dominik Paris of Italy after winning the men’s downhill.Gintare Karpaviciute/Reuters
Glory in the men’s downhill ski race went to Switzerland’s Franjo Von Allmen in the first medal event of the Milan Cortina Olympics. The upset victory saw him and two Italians knock the event favourite, Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt, off the podium.
Von Allem took gold on the gloriously sunlit Stelvio race course with a time of 1:51.61, crushing Odermatt’s time by 0.70 seconds. Odermatt had been widely expected to nab gold or silver. Von Allem’s victory confirmed his meteoric rise in the sport.
But the loudest cheers from the thousands of spectators at the base of the notoriously difficult Stelvio track in Bormio, went to Italy’s Giovanni Franzoni, 24, another rising star. Franzoni placed only 0.20 seconds behind Franjo von Allmen, handing him silver.
Italian racing veteran Dominik Paris, 32, who has won 24 World Cups and is virtually a household name in Italy, took bronze, no doubt a disappointment for him since he is so close to retirement. Paris has been dubbed “the King of the Stelvio” since he has won six downhill races on the track.
The four Canadians in the event – Crawford, Cameron Alexander, Brodie Seger and Jeffrey Read – were clearly disappointed by their performances.
“I definitely brought a level that could have won the race today, just a few mistakes unfortunately cost me that podium,” Crawford told reporters after the race. “It’s a tough course … there’s a lot of exceptional guys up there, so when you make a mistake, it’s really hard to come back from it.”
Here’s more on the men’s downhill ski race.
02/07/26 08:25What is the time difference to Milan?
– Globe staff
Italy is six hours ahead of Toronto (ET) and nine hours ahead of Vancouver (PT).
Many major medal events – including the men’s and women’s gold medal hockey games – will take place in the afternoon or evening in Italy, allowing for morning or early-afternoon viewing in North America.
02/07/26 08:05How well do you know your ski jumping expressions?02/07/26 07:55Record ticket sales mark Milan Cortina Winter Games openingOpen this photo in gallery:
General view of fireworks as the Olympic cauldron under the Arco della Pace in Milan is lit.Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters
The opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, held on Friday night at Milan’s San Siro stadium, set a record with more than 61,000 tickets sold, the head of the local organizers said on Saturday.
Another 10,000 spectators watched the ceremony in other locations in a Games where events are being staged across a large area of northern Italy.
Organizers said everything worked smoothly in the San Siro, Milan’s famous soccer stadium, adding it was too early to provide broadcasting figures.
“It was a major challenge and we were very, very proud of our achievement. I am very pleased that everything went very well from an organizational point of view, which was not easy in such a unique context,” Andrea Varnier, CEO of the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation, said at a press conference.
The International Olympic Committee said the only issue was the length of a show that went on for three and a half hours.
– Reuters
02/07/26 07:40Canadian to the core, Sidney Crosby’s legacy is already untouchable
– Cathal Kelly
Sidney Crosby celebrates his overtime goal for Canada against the U.S. at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press
Sidney Crosby’s first great Olympic moment was demonstrating how not to go to the Olympics. Most people thought the then-18-year-old should have been on the Turin 2006 team that blew all four tires in the quarter-finals.
The only person with any pull who disagreed – Crosby.
Right after he’d been let down, he let his bosses and all of Canada off the hook: “I’m not there, but I can say I gave it a good shot.”
You can go on and on about Crosby’s ability, but the most unusual thing about him is the way he is in the world. Has there ever been an athlete of his accomplishment who made so few ripples outside of his play? Without becoming a misanthrope – a real danger for the greats – he is still able to move through life unnoticed. That is, until it’s time to show up, at which point he becomes a human rabbit’s foot.
Some of the great ones are larger than life. By dint of personality, Crosby is smaller. You can imagine him as your favourite neighbour, even assuming he was also the best hockey player in the world. He’d be the guy who’d mow your lawn because he happened to be out there mowing his lawn, so why not.
Here’s more from Cathal on Crosby’s legacy.
02/07/26 07:25Canadians secure spot in women’s ski slopestyle finalOpen this photo in gallery:
Megan Oldham of Team Canada during the women’s freestyle slopestyle qualification in Livigno, Italy.Adam Pretty/Getty Images
Megan Oldham and Naomi Urness have secured their spots in the women’s slopestyle finals at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
Oldham, from Parry Sound, Ont., scored 61.09 points to qualify in seventh in Saturday’s freestyle skiing qualifier, just one spot ahead of Urness at 58.40 points.
Urness, from Mont-Tremblant, Que., was sitting 15th after the first qualifying run, forcing her to improve her score by more than six points to make it into the top 12 and Monday’s final. She’s a first time Olympian, and Saturday’s result represents her first time making a slopestyle final outside of the X Games.
Oldham, a bronze medalist in the 2025 FIS freestyle world championships, is currently ranked third on the World Cup circuit. She ended her first run in fourth place but was not able to improve her ranking on her second pass. Oldham finished 13th in the event at the Beijing Games.
The two other Canadians in the race, Skye Clarke and Elena Gaskell, fell during both runs and ended up 21st and 23rd.
– The Canadian Press
02/07/26 06:57Meet the Canadians cheering on Team Canada at the Winter Games
These Canadians travelled across the Atlantic to attend the Milan Cortina Winter Games in person. Would you make the trek?
Robyn Doolittle
02/07/26 06:40Snowboarder Meryeta O’Dine out of competition after broken ankleOpen this photo in gallery:
Meryeta O’Dine during the 2022 Winter Olympics in China.Aaron Favila/The Associated Press
Two-time Olympic medal-winning snowboarder Meryeta O’Dine has had to pull out of the Milan Cortina snowboard cross competition due to injury.
The Canadian Olympic Committee says O’Dine fell during a training session, and an X-ray confirmed she had fractured her ankle.
O’Dine won bronze in both the women’s snowboard cross event and the mixed team snowboard cross event at Beijing 2022.
– The Canadian Press
02/07/26 06:00Canada falls to Great Britain in mixed doubles curling
– Rachel Brady
Brett Gallant and Jocelyn Peterman of Team Canada during the mixed doubles round robin match between Great Britain and Canada.Al Bello/Getty Images
Canada suffered its second loss in mixed doubles curling at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on Saturday, 7-5 to Great Britain.
Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat took a fast 3-0 lead on Brett Gallant and Jocelyn Peterman of Chestermere, Alta. in the first end, and never relinquished it in the round-robin win.
Canada falls to 3-2 in the mixed doubles round robin standings after suffering their first loss to the U.S. on Friday.
Team Great Britain improves to 6-0. The American team of Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse also remain undefeated.
Each team has nine games in the round robin, which continues into Monday at Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium. The top four teams in the 10-team field will advance to the medal round Tuesday.
02/07/26 05:33Coach Jon Cooper’s unlikely journey to Olympic men’s hockey reaches its moment of truth
– Grant Robertson
Jon Cooper in Tampa this week before departing for the Olympics.Mike Carlson/The Globe and Mail
The man leading Team Canada in Milan, as NHL players return to the Olympics for the first time in 12 years, is not your typical bench boss.
Exacting in his words and calculating in how he approaches the game, he is an outsider who almost ended up a stock broker, later worked as a lawyer, then fell into coaching on a whim. He barged his way into the NHL ranks by succeeding everywhere he went.
The two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning now boasts one of the highest winning percentages in league history. But long before he became the Jon Cooper of today, he was a guy forced to contend with losing on a regular basis.
Here’s more on the coach and his record of success.
02/07/26 05:00Canadian women’s hockey team set to play Switzerland in first game
– Globe staff
Canada players pose for a team group photo before training on Wednesday in Milan, Italy.Mike Segar/Reuters
The Canadian women’s hockey plays its first game of the tournament today when it faces Switzerland at 3:10 p.m. ET. The Canadians were supposed to open play on Thursday against Finland, but that game was postponed after several Finnish players came down with norovirus and the entire team had be quarantined.
Friday night, the Swiss Olympic Committee said one player on its team tested positive for norovirus and that the entire team was in isolation. Still, today’s game was scheduled to go ahead.
Here’s a closer look at who’s on the roster and how Canada stacks up against the U.S. in hockey.
02/07/26 05:00Speed skater Isabelle Weidemann looks to add to her medal chestOpen this photo in gallery:
Isabelle Weidemann during the ISU World Cup speed skating in Calgary, Alta., in November, 2025.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
Ottawa speed skater Isabelle Weidemann looks to add a fourth career Olympic medal when she races in the women’s 3,000 metres at 10 a.m. ET. Weidemann won bronze in the event at the 2022 Beijing Games, where she also took gold in the team pursuit and silver in the 5,000 metres. Valérie Maltais of La Baie, Que., and Calgary’s Laura Hall will also skate in the event.
– The Canadian Press
02/07/26 05:00Newman denies taking PEDs after suspension due to whereabouts failuresOpen this photo in gallery:
Alysha Newman in action during the Birmingham World Indoor Tour Final in Britain in 2023.PETER CZIBORRA
Alysha Newman says it’s a first and that she has always been and always will be a clean athlete.
The 2024 Olympic bronze medalist in women’s pole vault was provisionally suspended by the Athletic Integrity Unit for whereabouts failures on Wednesday. In order to be suspended for that reason, an athlete must miss three doping tests within 12 months.
In an Instagram post, the 31-year-old from London, Ont., said she has been getting drug tested since she was 16 and that this was the first such occurrence.
Newman said she found out when “you guys found out” and that she couldn’t talk about everything as the process was still ongoing.
“I’ve never taken any enhanced drugs, I’ve never taken steroids,” she said in the video, mentioning she was heading into training and explaining how rigorous the whereabouts process is. “… I fell short this year [with missing three tests], we’re in the process, we’re gonna figure it out and I will see you guys back on the track.
“I will continue to be a clean athlete in this sport and I’m honoured to be Canadian and to have represented Canada at the highest level.”
– The Canadian Press
02/07/26 05:00Today’s Olympic schedule and event start times
– Globe staff
Canada will have multiple chances to win its first medals today, the Canadian women’s hockey team is finally hitting the ice, and the men’s curling team are going up against first-ranked Great Britain.
Canadian speed skater Isabelle Weidemann will be racing for gold in women’s 3000m, Francis Jobin will compete for a big air medal in men’s snowboarding, and Abigale Strate will shoot for a ski-jump gold in women’s normal hill.
Here are the events to watch for, and you can find the full schedule here.
4:05 a.m. ET – Mixed doubles curling (Canada vs. Great Britain)1:45 p.m. ET – Figure skating team event (men’s singles short program)3:10 p.m. – Women’s hockey (Canada vs. Switzerland)
Medal events:
5:30 a.m. ET – Men’s downhill alpine skiing7:00 a.m. ET – Women’s cross-country 10km and 10km skiathlon10 a.m. ET – Women’s 3000m speed skating (Isabelle Weidemann competing)1:30 p.m. ET – Men’s snowboarding big air (Francis Jobin competing)1:57 p.m. ET – Women’s normal hill ski jump (Abigale Strate competing)02/07/26 05:00Italian fashion and art take centre stage in Milan Cortina opening ceremony
– Robyn Doolittle
To open the world’s largest celebration of sport, the organizers behind the Milan Cortina Olympic Games put Italian fashion, art and classical music at the centre of its welcome ceremony.
Sometimes cheeky – there was an extended dance sequence featuring lifesize bobblehead opera maestros – but always chic – the Italian flag was introduced by dozens of runway models wearing green, white and red Giorgio Armani power suits – the nearly four-hour ceremony leaned heavily toward on-the-nose Italian references, including nods to everything from the Renaissance and Ancient Rome, to Italian hand gestures and cuisine.
And while the show was more modest in comparison to other recent opening ceremonies, it still packed star power, including a campy dance performance from Italian actress Sabrina Impacciatore (the hotel manager from the second season of The White Lotus) and a brief appearance by Mariah Carey.
Friday’s ceremony marked the first time in history when elements of the opening ceremony took place in multiple cities, reflecting the sprawling nature of these Games.
02/07/26 05:00Where to watch the Olympics in Canada
– Globe staff
CBC is Canada’s official Olympic broadcaster. The 2026 Winter Games will be available to watch on CBC through your TV provider, or to stream for free on the CBC Gem app or at CBCGem.ca.
You can also follow The Globe and Mail’s live coverage of all the latest news and analysis of the Games, on our website or mobile app.
02/07/26 05:00Your guide to the 2026 Winter Olympics
– Globe staff
The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics have begun and are poised to be historic in more ways than one, as Team Canada and the world’s best athletes converge in northern Italy.
From hockey to figure skating and the debut of ski mountaineering, the competition will be nothing short of thrilling. But at the most geographically widespread edition of the Winter Games ever, international tensions – particularly toward the United States – will also be on full display.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Games.
02/07/26 05:00Ask us your Olympics questions
– Globe staff
From how Canada is doing so far to what the energy is like in Italy, tell the The Globe’s Olympics team what you want to know about the Games. We’ll do our best to answer them.
Ask us your Olympics questions
What do you want to know about the 2026 Winter Games and Team Canada so far? Send us your questions, and The Globe’s journalists on the ground in Italy will try to answer them.