The way to watch the Winter Olympics : NPR

An commercial for the 2026 Winter Olympics stands close to Piazza Duomo within the co-host metropolis of Milan, Italy, within the lead-up to the opening ceremony.

Maja Hitij/Getty Pictures

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Maja Hitij/Getty Pictures

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It is the Winter Olympics, that particular season each 4 years by which everybody you recognize is abruptly an skilled on luge technique and curling method from the consolation of their sofa.

There’s a lot to dive into this yr, on the unusually spread-out Milan Cortina Olympics.

A whole lot of athletes from all over the world — together with 232 from the U.S. — will descend on over two dozen venues throughout northern Italy to compete in 16 completely different sports activities. There are 116 medal occasions on the road all through the two-and-a-half weeks. And this time, in contrast to the COVID-era 2022 Beijing Winter Video games, spectators can be allowed to look at in particular person.

However you do not have to board a aircraft or sport hand heaters to get a great view, due to NBC’s sturdy broadcasting rights and NPR’s scrappy group of journalists on the bottom. Here is the best way to comply with the motion — and peek backstage — from dwelling.

The way to watch the opening ceremony

The Feb. 6 opening ceremony marks the official begin of the Video games (regardless that a number of sports activities, together with curling and ice hockey, begin competing two days earlier).

It is going to be held primarily on the historic San Siro Stadium in Milan, that includes performances by icons like Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli, in addition to conventional parts just like the Parade of Nations and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.

However there may also be simultaneous ceremonies and athlete parades at a few of the opposite venues — scattered tons of of miles aside — and, for the primary time in historical past, a second Olympic cauldron can be lit within the co-host metropolis of Cortina d’Ampezzo.

NBC’s stay protection of the opening ceremony (additionally streaming on Peacock) will start at 2 p.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 6, with a primetime broadcast deliberate for 8 p.m. ET the identical day.

The way to sustain as soon as the Video games start

There are 16 days of competitors between the opening and shutting ceremonies, with contests and medal occasions scattered all through, relying on the game. Here is the full schedule (occasions are listed in native time in Italy, which is six hours forward of Jap time).

NBC says it would broadcast occasions stay all through the day, with a nightly primetime highlights present at 8 p.m. ET, adopted by a late-night model.

U.S.-based viewers can watch on NBC, Peacock and a host of different platforms, together with the apps and web sites of each NBC and NBC Sports activities. Seasoned Olympic viewers will acknowledge Peacock viewing experiences like “Gold Zone” (which whips round between key moments, eliminating the necessity to channel surf) and “Multiview,” now accessible on cellular.

The Feb. 22 closing ceremony can be broadcast stay beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET, and once more on primetime at 9 p.m. ET.

It’ll happen at a historic amphitheater in Verona, which may also host the opening ceremony of the Paralympics on March 6. Some 600 Para athletes will compete in 79 medal occasions throughout six sports activities — together with Para Alpine snowboarding, sled hockey and wheelchair curling — earlier than the closing ceremony in Cortina on March 15.

The way to comply with NPR’s protection

All of the whereas, you possibly can try NPR’s Olympics protection to higher perceive the important thing folks, context and moments that make up the Video games.

NPR’s five-person Olympics group will carry you information, recaps and shade from the bottom in Italy, on-line, on air and in your inbox. Plus, anticipate updates and the occasional deep dive from NPR’s journalists watching from D.C. and all over the world.

You will discover all of NPR’s Winter Olympics tales (previous, current and upcoming) right here on our web site.

To take heed to our broadcast protection, tune to your native NPR station and stream our radio programming on npr.org or the NPR app.

Plus, subscribe to our publication, Rachel Goes to the Video games, for a day by day dose of what it is wish to be there in particular person.

We’ll even have a video podcast, Up First Winter Video games, to additional dissect the day’s largest Olympic tales and oddities. You will discover it on NPR’s YouTube web page.