With the 2026 Winter Olympics almost underway, here’s exactly where the Games are being held and why they’re spread across numerous cities in Italy.

From Heated Rivalry stars to the event’s iconic venues, here’s what you should be looking out for at the Winter Olympics 2026 opening and closing ceremonies.

The Winter Olympics bring hundreds of the world's best winter athletes to northern Italy, where they will face off in 16 different sports across 2 1/2 weeks. Here's how to follow along.

It was unclear what caused the brief blip as players joked and killed time before the lights came on and action resumed.

Follow NBC News live updates for the latest on the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, where the curling events will open ahead of the opening ceremony.

Officials briefly paused the matches at the historic curling stadium when the lights dimmed and flickered. Curlers kept sliding on the ice to stay ready. Fans cheered when the bright lights came back shortly after and competition resumed. Venue officials said they were investigating and had no immediate word on what caused the problem.

The Winter Games are scheduled for Feb. 1 to Feb. 17, 2030. The Paralympic Winter Games would take place from Mar. 1 to Mar. 10, 2030. While the final details of the next games are not finalized, the master plan for the French Alps Winter Olympics will focus on four areas: in Haute Savoie, Savoie, Briançon, and Nice.

The last time Cortina d’Ampezzo hosted the Winter Olympics was in 1956 (Jan. 26-Feb. 5). The Games featured 821 athletes, and 24 events like bobsleigh, speed skating, and alpine skiing. Here’s what to know about that event.

The rapper brought signature energy to the historic tradition as anticipation builds for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Legendary rapper Snoop

ROME (AP) — Italy has foiled a series of cyberattacks targeting some of its foreign ministry offices, including one in Washington, as well as Winter Olympics websites and hotels in Cortina d’Ampezzo,