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Watch the official cauldron lighting at the Olympic Winter Games
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- Watch the official cauldron lighting at the Olympic Winter Games
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The 2026 Winter Olympics will feature a plethora of compelling storylines as far as Americans are concerned. Legendary alpine skier Lindsey Vonn is competing at 41 years of age after just suffering a ruptured ACL. Sensational snowboarder Chloe Kim is looking to overcome her own injury obstacles and will herself to a third straight gold medal in the halfpipe. The United States men's hockey team will vie for its first Olympic crown since the magical 1980 run.
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But before all of those narratives unfold in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, the host country had to light the cauldron , or cauldrons. The annual Opening Ceremony tradition took place on Friday in front of a packed crowd that watched beloved opera singer Andrea Bocelli and five-time Grammy Award winner Mariah Carey perform, among others. A trio of alpine skiers officially jump-started the global sporting spectacle.
Winter Games greats Alberto "La Bomba" Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni, who each won three Olympic gold medals during their illustrious careers, carried out the task in Milan's San Siro Stadium. It is only fitting that a man nicknamed "The Bomb" would be entrusted to help ignite the proceedings (apologies for that one). Sofia Goggia, a Pyeongchang gold medalist and Beijing silver medalist, lit the cauldron in Cortina.
Italy now hopes its Olympics performance will match the glitz and glamour of its Opening Ceremony. Excitement overflowed both cities, as all the competitors soaked in the one-of-a-kind pageantry. They will shift into warrior mode now, however.
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The 2026 Winter Olympics began on a visually stunning note, and hopefully, there will be a multitude of memorable moments before the grand conclusion in two weeks.
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