Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony LIVE Updates: Mega Spectacle Underway; Contingents Arrive Across Milan And Cortina

The Israeli contingent was booed by the crowd inside the San Siro stadium. The participating four athletes had awkward faces as they entered the venue.

The most decorated nation in the Winter Olympics - Norway were welcomed with cheer and whistles. They topped the medal chart last time around in Beijing 2022, winning 37 medals, including 16 golds, which is the most by any country in a single Winter Games edition.

Norway have won a total of staggering 329 medals.

The Indian contingent comes out for the opening ceremony. There are only 2 representatives for India - 25-year-old Alpine skier Arif Khan, who will participate in Men's Slalom along with Cross-Country skier Stanzin Lundup, who is taking part in the Men's 10KM Freestyle.

Organizers have confirmed that the opening ceremony has reached a full capacity of 61,000 at the San Siro. Premium seats were priced at €2,026. Volunteers are enjoying a special €26 rate.

The Jamaican contingent brought the

Canada have sent a contingent of 207 athletes and 109 of those are actually debutants

Previous Winter Olympic hosts China have sent their largest contingent ever at the games as a total of 126 athletes are set to participate in Milano Cortina 2026.

West African Alpine skier Nathan Tchibozo, who hails from the nation of Benin, is the country's first-ever athlete to feature in an Winter Olympic edition. One by one, the contingents are coming out with much enthusiasm.

Here comes the Chinese contingent, one of the biggest in this edition. They are a sporting powerhouse and are expected to win plenty of medals. China had also hosted the previous Winter Olympic edition in Beijing 2022.

Greece are the first nation to arrive for the contingent parades, hoisting their flag in Milan and Cortina’s Piazza Dibona for the Winter Olympics opening ceremony. Albania and Andorra are up next. Saudi Arabia and Argentina arrive with happy faces as well.

For your information, the contingents are entering the opening ceremony across two different locations - San Siro in Milan and the Piazza Dibona in Cortina.

In a beautiful display of a contemporary act and violin, the Olympic rings assembled from all parts of the San Siro stadium and lit up brightly to mark the start of this first-ever widespread Winter Games opening ceremony. Here come the athletes now.

The pictures you see below is a tribute being given to the late Italian fashion icon Giorgio Armani, who died at the age of 91 last year.

The Italian flag ascended simultaneously across two iconic locations, Milan’s San Siro and Cortina’s Piazza Dibona to the soaring vocals of Laura Pausini, who sang the Italian national anthem.

A number of models lined-up for a ramp show kind of a thing, wearing Italian flag colours to synchronize the nation's fashion culture with the Winter Olympic games.

The national flag has now been handed to be hoisted and the drums are rolling. Here comes the Italian national anthem.

American pop star and 5-time Grammy winner Mariah Carey delivers a magical performance. She starts with an Italian song and concludes with her famous track Nothing is impossible. She wore a glittery dress, snow-white feather boa and diamonds. Here are a few stills from her stunning look.

And we are underway for the live ceremony of the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic games and the first act features a contemporary dance act. The soon to be demolished San Siro stadium in Milan is absolutely packed with people.

Additionally, the opening ceremony will also pay tribute to late Italian fashion icon Giorgio Armani, who used to design Italy’s Olympic and Paralympic uniforms. The fashion cult, who died last September at the age of 91, is deeply embedded within Milan's history.

The star-studded line-up for the Winter Olympics 2026 opening ceremony features 5-time Grammy award winning pop star Mariah Carey, Golden Globe winner Laura Pausini, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, famed Italian actor Pierfrancesco Favino, Emmy-nominated actress Sabrina Impacciatore and homegrown rapper Ghali.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Jeff Goldblum, Boris Becker and Snoop Dogg are among the celebrities who will be watching from the stands.

Right then. The 2026 Winter Olympic Games' opening ceremony will feature a star studded line-up with plenty of meaningful acts and performances from world's top-class artists.

The whole event is being produced by the Balich Wonder Studio, who have previously done so in more than 15 Olympic games. It will be an entertaining 3-hour spectacle at the San Siro Stadium in Milan and in North Italy.

The city of Milan is anyways known for its rich history of art, music, food, sports, cinema and a lot more. All of this is going to combine tonight.

Welcome to everyone joining us for the live coverage of the XXV Olympic Winter Games, Milano Cortina 2026 opening ceremony. Follow along for the real-time updates and a lot more.