The opening ceremony is here to officially kick off the Winter Games. Chloe Kim reflects on finding peace before chasing history, the Jamaican bobsled team looks to push past a movie label in search of a medal, plus the Daily Rings podcast previews the venues in Italy. |
Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images |
The 2026 Games will feature just one new sport in the program: skimo. It follows in the IOC's tradition of experimentation that has brought us several mainstays, as well as a few oddballs. |
By Michael Rosenberg What goes up must come down, and that, as much as anything, best sums up the newest addition to the Winter Olympics program. Ski mountaineering sounds like a combination of cross-country skiing and cattle herding, and while that would be awesome, the sport is actually as basic as anything this side of the downhill: First you climb a mountain, then you ski down it. "Skiing without chairlifts," says Team USA's Cam Smith. "Skiing existed for centuries before we had chairlifts. This is how people got around. This is a sport with a lot of history, practicality and participation." Smith says that back home in Crested Butte, Colo., "most people around town sort of know what I'm up to." The rest of the country has questions. Smith is happy to provide answers. The classic skimo race, which is called the individual, involves a long climb and descent and lasts at least 90 minutes with a minimum elevation gain of 4,500 feet. It is an incredible test of will and skill, of endurance and speed, of … hey! We see you falling asleep over there! This is why the International Olympic Committee will not stage the individual at the Milan Cortina Games. |
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In this edition of the Daily Rings podcast, Mitch and Dan go over some of the latest news before the Games start: Lindsey Vonn's return from injury, the Spanish skater whose Minions music originally wasn't approved and the U.S. flag bearers for the opening ceremony. Then, they take a closer look at the venues that will host every event. |
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Michael Kappeler/Getty Images |
By Ben Steiner Cratered by potholes, the road to the Jamaican parish of Trelawny narrows into a ribbon, cutting through sugar cane fields and extending into an area that has produced some of the country's greatest athletes. Here, mere miles apart, are the hometowns of eight-time Olympic gold medalist sprinter Usain Bolt and his former relay teammate Tyquendo Tracey. Now 32, Tracey's legs have taken a break from powering Jamaica's famed relay squads and have molded into pistons pushing an Olympic bobsled in Cortina. With each stride, they're firing the Caribbean island's sleds across the world's sliding tracks and into the Olympics, an international sporting theatre usually defined by the country's summer stars and headlined by Bolt's legacy. "It was a really good vibe, training together to get ready for the competition and everything. ... He's a real character, and it was always fun to be around and learn from him," says Tracey, who once ran a blistering 9.96-second 100 metre race in 2018. "[Bolt] showed that in sports and whatever career you're in, it is important, but you should have fun with it, and that's what I'm doing." |
By Michael Rosenberg Chloe Kim has picked out the date she will retire from snowboarding. She won't reveal exactly when it will be, but says she's had it in her mind for a really long time. "I am 25 right now. I'd love to start a family. My mom had me when she was young. I'd love to be a young mom," she says. "My dad's 70 right now. There's so much time, but also not enough time." A two-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time world champion, Kim speaks like somebody who has checked off her entire to-do list—even the retirement speech: "I've won every single competition multiple times—some multiple, multiple, multiple times. I've done tricks that I never thought I'd be able to do. I have done so much here. I'm really happy and I'm fulfilled." Athletes are so famously bad at walking away that every unretirement announcement should begin, "I am a cliché." Leaving is hard for a host of reasons. Even the oldest pro athletes would be considered young in almost any other field; they want to keep working. Then there is the final-scene conundrum: They don't want to go out with a bad performance, but if they are performing well, why retire? |
Italy is ready. Here is a partial look at the athlete's village. |
- 8:35 a.m. ET - Curling Mixed Doubles: USA vs. Czechia
- 1:40 p.m. ET - Opening Ceremony (NBC)
- 3:10 a.m. ET - Women's hockey: Switzerland vs. Canada (USA Network)
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