The 2026 Winter Olympics kick off today, as mixed doubles curling becomes the first sport to commence at the Milan-Cortina Games, two days ahead of Friday's opening ceremony.
British duo Bruce Mouat and Jen Dodds take to the ice at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium this evening, facing Norwegian married couple Magnus Nedregotten and Kristin Skaslien.
The Norwegian pair hold painful memories for the British curlers, having defeated Mouat and Dodds in the semi-finals at Beijing 2022 with the final stone.
Mouat and Dodds, who have been friends since childhood, claimed the world title in 2021 and finished as runners-up in 2025, yet an Olympic medal has so far eluded them after they fell to Sweden in the bronze medal match four years ago.
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Britain has dispatched a 53-strong squad to northern Italy, with considerable optimism surrounding their medal chances across multiple disciplines.
Matt Weston stands out as perhaps the nation's strongest gold medal prospect in the men's skeleton, having triumphed in five of seven World Cup races this season.
The two-time reigning world champion has demonstrated remarkable dominance on the circuit, while teammate Marcus Wyatt claimed victory in the remaining two races, raising the tantalising possibility of a British one-two when the event concludes on February 13.
The women's skeleton contingent also carries genuine podium aspirations, with Tabby Stoecker and Amelia Coltman both securing World Cup podium finishes during the current campaign.
The 2026 Winter Olympics officially kick off today
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A new mixed team skeleton event at these Games presents yet another medal opportunity for the British sliding athletes, who have historically excelled in the sport despite failing to reach the podium at Beijing 2022.
On the snow, 19-year-old Mia Brookes arrives in Italy as one of the favourites for medals in both the women's big air and slopestyle competitions.
The Cheshire rider holds the overall World Cup title and became slopestyle world champion in 2023 at just 16 years of age, making her too young to have competed at the previous Winter Olympics.
Brookes has captured back-to-back big air World Cup crowns and enters the Games fresh from medal success at the X Games, positioning her as a genuine contender to become Britain's youngest Winter Olympic medallist in 78 years.
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The official opening ceremony takes place on Friday
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She faces formidable opposition from Japan's trio of Kokomo Murase, Reira Iwabuchi and Mari Fukada, who swept the medals at last year's World Championships, along with Austria's Anna Gasser, who is pursuing a third consecutive Olympic big air title at 34.
Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson carry Britain's hopes in the ice dance, arriving at these Games a year after securing World Championship bronze in Boston.
That result marked Britain's first figure skating medal at a World Championships in more than four decades, fuelling belief they can end an even longer Olympic drought.
No British figure skater has stood on an Olympic podium since Dame Jayne Torvill and Sir Christopher Dean collected bronze at Lillehammer in 1994.
Britain has dispatched a 53-strong squad to northern Italy
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The official opening ceremony takes place on Friday evening at Milan's iconic San Siro Stadium, home to both AC Milan and Inter Milan, with American pop star Mariah Carey and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli confirmed among the headline performers.
In a departure from tradition, these geographically spread Games will also feature ceremonies and parades in Predazzo, Livigno and Cortina d'Ampezzo to mark the occasion.
The 25th Winter Olympics will see nearly 3,000 athletes from 90 nations competing for 116 medals across 16 sports, with ski mountaineering making its Olympic debut as the only new discipline.
Competition runs through to February 22, when the closing ceremony will be staged at the ancient Roman amphitheatre in Verona.
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