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  Italy’s Francesca Lollobrigida wins women’s 3,000 meters for first gold of Milan-Cortina Games Host nation Italy claimed its first gold medal of the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics in women’s speedskating. Francesca Lollobrigida won the women’s 3,000 meters on Saturday at the Milan Ice Skating Arena, setting an Olympic record of 3 minutes, 54.28 seconds. The victory gave Lollobrigida her first Olympic gold after taking silver at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Including a bronze in the mass start in Beijing, it was her third career Olympic medal (one gold, one silver, one February 8, 2026
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  South Korea mixed doubles curling team falls to Czech Republic for fifth straight round-robin loss South Korea’s mixed doubles curling pair Kim Seon Yeong (Gangneung City Hall) and Jeong Yeong Seok (Gangwon Province Office) lost again in round-robin play at the 2026 Milano-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, dropping their fifth straight match. Kim and Jeong fell 9-4 to the Czech team of Julie Zelingrova and Vit Havlicovsky on Friday (Korea time) at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. South Korea had previously lost 10-3 to Sweden, 8-4 to Italy, 8-5 to Switz February 8, 2026
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  South Korea’s Lee Ui Jin, Han Da Som Fail to Finish Women’s Skiathlon at Milan-Cortina Olympics South Korean cross-country skiers Lee Ui Jin (Busan Metropolitan City Hall Sports Council) and Han Da Som (Gyeonggi Provincial Government) failed to finish their events at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. Competing in the women’s 10km + 10km skiathlon at the Tesero Cross-Country Ski Stadium in Tesero, Italy, on Feb. 7 (Korea time), Lee covered 13.3 kilometers in 43:37.8 and Han 11.8 kilometers in 41:19.4 before both were pulled after being lapped. Under skiathlon rule February 7, 2026
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  Swiss skier Franjo von Allmen wins first gold of Milan-Cortina Olympics in men’s downhill Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen won the first gold medal of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, taking the men’s downhill on Friday at the Stelvio Ski Center in Bormio, Italy. Von Allmen finished in 1 minute, 51.61 seconds to beat 33 other starters. Born in 2001, he won gold in his first Olympic race. “It feels like a scene from a movie. It doesn’t feel real,” he said after the race. “It’s hard to put into words what this gold medal means to me. I think it will sink in a few days aft February 7, 2026
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  South Korea’s culture minister says Milan Olympics opening ceremony felt “thrilling” South Korea’s culture minister, visiting venues for the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, said he felt “thrilled and proud” after attending the opening ceremony. Choi Hwi-young, minister of culture, sports and tourism, visited the Olympic Main Press Center (MPC) and International Broadcast Center (IBC) at the Allianz MiCo convention center in Milan on Friday morning local time, meeting and encouraging South Korean reporters covering the Games. “I attended the opening ceremony February 7, 2026
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  Many Russian-Born Athletes Compete at Milan-Cortina Olympics After Switching Nationalities Although Russia, stripped of eligibility by the International Olympic Committee, sent 13 athletes to the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Olympics as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN), the number of Russian-born competitors at the Games appears to be far higher. The Wall Street Journal reported Feb. 6 that many Russian-born athletes competing in Milan-Cortina changed nationality after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, concerned that nationality issues could block their Olympic medal hopes. February 7, 2026
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  Figure skater Cha Jun-hwan named top 'most handsome' male athlete for 2026 Milan Olympics list South Korean figure skater Cha Jun-hwan (Seoul City Hall) has been picked as the No. 1 “most handsome” male athlete among competitors set to appear at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. Vogue Hong Kong published a roundup on Thursday (local time) titled “2026 Milan Winter Olympics: 13 most handsome male athletes,” saying it was looking at standout male athletes representing countries around the world and releasing its ranking. The magazine placed Cha, a leading name in Sou February 7, 2026
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  Norovirus spreads at Milan-Cortina Olympics, Swiss women’s hockey player tests positive Norovirus infections are spreading at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, following a cluster in Finland’s women’s ice hockey team and a new case in Switzerland’s women’s team. The AP reported that one Swiss women’s player tested positive for norovirus and that the entire team was placed in isolation, causing them to miss the Olympic opening ceremony. The player returned a positive test after Switzerland’s game against the Czech Republic on Feb. 6. Finland’s women’s team wa February 7, 2026
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  Vance Booed at Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony; Ukraine Team Cheered U.S. Vice President JD Vance was loudly booed by some spectators during the opening ceremony of the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics. On Thursday (local time) at San Siro Olympic Stadium in Milan, Vance stood and applauded as the U.S. delegation entered. When he appeared on the stadium’s big screen, boos rose from parts of the crowd. The reaction appeared tied to political tensions between the United States and Europe, as well as recent controversy over plans to deploy so February 7, 2026
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  First Gold at Milan-Cortina Olympics to Be Decided in Men’s Downhill or Women’s Skiathlon 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics will move quickly from opening ceremonies to the first race for gold. The first gold medal is expected to come from a snow event on Feb. 7 (Korea time). It will be awarded to the winner of whichever finishes first between the men’s alpine downhill, scheduled for 7:30 p.m., and the women’s cross-country 10-kilometer plus 10-kilometer skiathlon, which starts at 9 p.m. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Norway’s Therese Johaug won the first gold in the wo February 7, 2026