Day 1 at the Milan Cortina Games is in the books, and it did not take long for performance-enhancement rumors and questionable rink measurements to surface. U.S. speedskater Greta Myers finds her Olympic moment arrive ahead of schedule, political decisions back home cast a shadow over Team USA and the Daily Rings podcast breaks down everything from the opening ceremony to early medal drama. |
From reports of a crotch-size manipulation scandal in ski jumping to a Mariah Carey performance, the 2026 Winter Games are off to a peculiar start. |
By Michael Rosenberg Welcome to the 2026 Winter Olympics. We are already one male-enhancement scandal into this thing. We will get to that in a moment. First, a round of applause for Italy, which excelled at any host nation's first task: convincing the world it was not ready to host the Olympics. In the old days, when budgets were larger, cities accomplished this in epic fashion. They would run way behind schedule, or act like they changed their mind and wouldn't build anything after all. Sometimes the entire economy would collapse. Italy had to get creative. As you might know, the NHL decided to send its players to the Olympics for the first time since 2014, which should add some juice to the tournament. Italy responded with an elaborate plan of pretending nobody in the country owned a ruler. The Olympic ice rinks are smaller than the agreed-upon specifications. Now, they are only around three feet smaller, but as any ski jumper allegedly with an artificially extended penis can tell you, a few inches can make a big difference. We should say up front here that this is only a rumor, and the International Ski and Snowboard Federation says there is no evidence for it. But it is a rumor we are personally desperate to believe, so here goes: There are concerns that ski jumpers might be injecting their penises with hyaluronic acid, a substance found in cosmetic fillers, in order to jump farther. In related news, the new gold medal favorite is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. |
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With Day 1 in the books, Mitch and Dan discuss the opening ceremony in the latest edition of the Daily Rings podcast. They also address the day's top headlines, including Lindsey Vonn's ACL and a ski jumping suit scandal. Plus, they recap the early events and preview the first full day of competition. |
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Katie Stratman/Imagn Images |
By Michael Rosenberg The coolest day of Greta Myers's career started after it ended. On Saturday morning, Myers went through an action movie of a workout: 90 intense minutes, ending in a big crash, on a set built to look like something it isn't. Milano Speed Skating Stadium is a temporary venue; it will go back to being part of the Fiera Milano Rho exhibition center after the 2026 Winter Olympics. In the last segment of the training session—four laps at top speed—Myers and teammate Giorgia Birkeland hit some choppy ice. "Just had a misstep," Myers said later, "and both kind of slid down into the pads." Birkeland hurt her funny bone and had blood all over her suit. Myers bruised her right knee. The injuries are not serious, but the fatigue was. It was Myers's last big workout before what was supposed to be her Olympic debut: the team pursuit on Feb. 14. Myers says she was "pretty cooked" as she started untying her skates in the infield. That's when one of Myers's coaches, Gabriel Girard, told her Czech legend Martina Sáblíková, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, had to withdraw due to illness, opening up a spot in the 3,000-meter race. |
Piero Cruciatti/AFP/Getty Images |
By Michael Rosenberg This week, the United States withheld funding from the World Anti-Doping Agency, and the timing was ironic. All the old pathetic drug-cheat excuses now apply to the U.S. too. Our president insults and threatens countries that never posed any threat to us. There must have been some misunderstanding. We allow our government to kill innocent people and treat children inhumanely. This is not a reflection of our character. Journalists report on astoundingly brazen, breathtakingly massive corruption. We will not let this define us. Italians hear that ICE agents will be here and immediately start protesting. Please—let's not rush to judgment. U.S. Olympians are breathtaking athletes and generally lovely people. They do not deserve to be game pieces for sportswashing, but they are anyway. Meanwhile, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) leaders do what too many U.S. elected officials do: They minimize and neutralize and act like President Donald Trump is a totally normal and reasonable guy, because saying anything else will cost them. USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland and fellow execs Gene Sykes and Nicole Deal made it clear during their press conference here Thursday that they would like everybody here to separate fact from fiction. Sure: Let's play that game. |
Switzerland - 🥇1 🥈0 🥉0 (1) |
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated |
American cross-country skier Jessie Diggins finished eighth in the women's skiathlon on the opening day at the Games. |
- 8:30 a.m. ET: Mixed doubles curling: U.S. vs. Estonia (USA Network)
- 9:30 a.m. ET: Women's Alpine Skiing downhill (NBC) MEDAL 🏅
- 11:30 a.m. ET: Women's Speedskating 1000m final (USA Network; NBC coverage at 12 p.m. ET) MEDAL 🏅
- 12 p.m. ET: Men's Ski Jumping normal hill MEDAL 🏅
- 1:30 p.m. ET: Pairs' Figure Skating free skate (USA Network)
- 2:45 p.m. ET: Women's Figure Skating free skate (USA Network)
- 3:55 p.m. ET: Men's Figure Skating free skate (USA Network) MEDAL 🏅
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