Winter Olympics officially kick off in Italy with opening ceremony

The United States has the largest Olympic delegation with 232 athletes, followed by Canada with over 200 athletes and Italy with 196.

By Misty Severi

Published: February 6, 2026 10:54pm

The 2026 Winter Olympics formally kicked off Friday night in Italy, with celebrations at Milan's San Siro Stadium and in Predazzo, Livigno and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

The Winter Olympics opening ceremony included the parade of nations, which saw over 2,900 athletes representing 92 countries from around the world. The United States has the largest Olympic delegation with 232 athletes, followed by Canada with over 200 athletes and Italy with 196.

Three new countries will make their Olympic debut in Italy: Benin, Guinea-Bissau and the United Arab Emirates, according to NBC Los Angeles, and seven are not returning, including American Samoa, Belarus, Ghana, Peru, and the Russian Olympic Committee.

The Olympic sporting events will officially begin Saturday, with athletes competing in curling, ice hockey, skiing, luge and speed skating. The Games will conclude on Feb. 22.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.