Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics Open With Record-Breaking Performances and Ceremony
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, officially commenced Friday with a multi-centered opening ceremony and impressive athletic performances. The opening ceremony at San Siro Stadium in Milan marked a departure from tradition, spreading celebrations across multiple Olympic venues, according to CBS News. The United States sent its largest-ever contingent of winter athletes to compete across 16 sports.
American figure skaters Madison Chock and Evan Bates set a world-best score of 91.06 points in the rhythm dance, opening the team competition. Cheered on by a crowd that included Vice President JD Vance, his family, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chock and Bates secured their team the maximum 10 points for their Lenny Kravitz-inspired dance, according to CBS News. The three-time world champions are favored to win individual Olympic gold later in the Games.
In other news from the Games, American star Lindsey Vonn participated in an official Olympic training event for Women's downhill skiing on Friday. This marked her first time on the slopes since rupturing her left ACL in a World Cup race a week prior, according to CBS News. Vonn completed the run without any apparent issues. Her first competitive Olympic event, the women's downhill, is scheduled for Sunday.
Meanwhile, in Moscow, a top Russian military intelligence general, Vladimir Alekseyev, was shot in an apartment building and hospitalized, according to the Kremlin. Russian investigators said Alekseyev, the deputy head of Moscow's GRU military intelligence, was shot by an "unidentified individual" who fled the scene. Russian Foreign Minister blamed Ukraine for what he called a "terrorist act," according to CBS News. Kyiv has not commented on the incident.
In other news unrelated to the Olympics, a horse plush toy has gone viral in China due to a factory error. The mouths on a batch of the toys were mistakenly sewn on the wrong way around, creating sad-faced "crying" toys that have captured hearts as a mascot for the Lunar New Year, according to CBS News. The horses were designed as happy-faced toys to mark the upcoming holiday on February 17, the start of the Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac.
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