First Results of the 2026 Winter Olympics: What Happened Before the Official Start

Although the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo officially open today, February 6, the first competitions already took place. On February 4 and 5, spectators enjoyed curling matches, women’s hockey, and the Big Air snowboarding qualification.

Here’s a full recap of the early results — a great read for those following the Games from day one.

Curling (Mixed Doubles): Strong Start by the Favorites

February 4

• Sweden 10–3 South Korea

• Great Britain 8–6 Norway

• Canada 10–5 Czech Republic

• Switzerland 9–7 Estonia

February 5

• Great Britain 10–5 Estonia

• Sweden 7–4 Czech Republic

• USA 8–6 Norway

• Italy 8–4 South Korea

• USA 7–4 Switzerland

• Canada 6–3 Norway

• Canada 7–2 Italy

• Switzerland 8–5 South Korea

• Estonia 7–5 Sweden

• Great Britain 8–7 Czech Republic

The opening matches showed consistent strong form from Sweden, Canada, USA, and Great Britain.

Ice Hockey (Women): Dominant Debuts from the Top Teams

The women’s hockey tournament kicked off with games in Groups A and B:

• USA 5–1 Czech Republic (Group A)

• Italy 4–1 France (Group B)

• Sweden 4–1 Germany (Group B)

Team USA made their medal intentions clear early, while Italy thrilled home fans with a confident win.

Snowboard Big Air (Men): Finalists Confirmed

The men’s Big Air qualification round featured 30 athletes, with the top 12 advancing to the final. The decisive round is scheduled for February 7.

Finalists:

• Hiroto Ogiwara (Japan)

• Ian Matteoli (Italy)

• Kira Kimura (Japan)

• Su Yiming (China)

• Taiga Hasegawa (Japan)

• Francis Jobin (Canada)

• Lyon Farrell (New Zealand)

• Rocco Jamieson (New Zealand)

• Oliver Martin (USA)

• Ryoma Kimata (Japan)

• Dane Menzies (New Zealand)

• Valentino Guseli (Australia)

The dominance of Japanese and New Zealander snowboarders promises a thrilling final. Local star Ian Matteoli, just 20 years old, impressed by placing second in qualifiers and may win Italy’s first medal on day one.

On February 6, Milan and Cortina will host the grand Opening Ceremony of the Olympics. The day will also feature the start of the figure skating team event and continue preliminary rounds in hockey and curling.