The 2026 Winter Olympics (February 6-22, 2026) in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo are approaching fast. If you’re like me, you’re going to want to plan ahead to make sure you don’t miss the main events. I’ve got you covered with the key medal events for Canada’s strongest sports, how to navigate time zone differences, and which broadcasters to stream from.
Key events Milano Cortina 2026
With over 116 medal events across 16 sports, I’m focusing on the sports that Canada has historically excelled in: ice hockey, curling, freestyle skiing, figure skating, and speed skating. I’ve compiled a schedule of key events for each sport, and in the coming weeks, I’ll be taking a closer look at Canada’s chances of a podium finish. Stay tuned.
Opening ceremony: 6 February
Closing ceremony: 22 February
Note: all times are stated in Central European Time (CET).
Olympic ice hockey
With the return of NHL players to the Olympics for the first time since Sochi 2014, the stakes for men’s hockey are high. The women’s team are the reigning Olympic champions from Beijing 2022, meaning all of Canada will be watching with bated breath to see if they can hold the title. Gear up for Olympic hockey by checking out the best hockey sportsbooks for favourable odds.
Preliminaries will start even before the opening ceremony, while the podium matches will be held in the closing days of the Olympics for a suitably grand finale.
| Division | Teams | Date and time (CET) | Event type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women | Canada vs. Finland | 5 February at 21:10 | Preliminary |
| Women | Canada vs. Switzerland | 7 February at 21:10 | Preliminary |
| Women | Canada vs. Czech Republic | 9 February at 21:10 | Preliminary |
| Women | Canada vs. USA | 10 February at 20:10 | Preliminary |
| Men | Canada vs. Czech Republic | 12 February at 16:40 | Preliminary |
| Men | Canada vs. Switzerland | 13 February at 21:10 | Preliminary |
| Men | Canada vs. France | 15 February at 16:40 | Preliminary |
| Women | ? vs. ? | 21 February 19:10 | Gold medal game |
| Men | ? vs. ? | 22 February 14:10 | Gold medal game |
Freestyle skiing (medal events)
While the Europeans might be the favourites for alpine skiing and ski mountaineering, the newest sport to be added to the Olympics, us Canadians are sure hands at technical ski artistry. With so many sub-disciplines in freestyle skiing, there will be an opportunity to watch events throughout the whole run of the Winter 2026 Olympics.
| Division | Gender | Date and time (CET) |
|---|---|---|
| Slopestyle | Women | 9 February at 13:28 |
| Slopestyle | Men | 10 February at 13:28 |
| Moguls | Women | 11 February at 14:55 |
| Moguls | Men | 12 February at 12:55 |
| Dual Moguls | Women | 14 February at 11:46 and 11:48 |
| Dual Moguls | Men | 15 February at 11:46 and 11:48 |
| Big Air | Women | 16 February at 20:17 |
| Big Air | Men | 17 February at 20:17 |
| Aerials | Women | 18 February at 12:30 |
| Aerials | Men | 19 February at 12:30 |
| Halfpipe | Men | 20 February at 20:28 |
| Halfpipe | Women | 21 February at 20:28 |
| Ski cross | Women | 20 February at 13:10 and 13:15 |
| Ski cross | Men | 21 February at 13:10 and 13:15 |
Figure skating (medal events)
Canada has been decorated with 29 figure skating medals in previous Olympic games. I’m excited to see how many more we can add to that figure (pun sort of intended) at these upcoming events.
| Division | Gender | Date and time (CET) |
|---|---|---|
| Singles – Team Event | Women | 8 February at 20:45 |
| Singles – Team Event | Men | 8 February at 21:55 |
| Ice Dance – Free Dance | Mixed | 11 February at 19:30 |
| Pair Skating | Mixed | 16 February at 20:00 |
| Singles – Free Skating | Men | 13 February at 19:00 |
| Singles – Free Skating | Women | 19 February at 19:00 |
Long track speed skating (medal events)
If you’re short on time, mark these long track speed skating gold medal events in your calendar. With skaters speeding up to 60 km per hour, the shortest event could potentially be over in under a minute.
| Division | Gender | Date and time (CET) |
|---|---|---|
| 3000m | Women | 7 February at 16:00 |
| 5000m | Men | 8 February at 16:00 |
| 1000m | Women | 9 February at 17:30 |
| 1000m | Men | 11 February at 18:30 |
| 10000m | Men | 13 February at 16:00 |
| 500m | Men | 14 February at 17:00 |
| 500m | Women | 15 February at 17:03 |
| Team Pursuit | Men | 17 February at 16:22 and 16:28 |
| Team Pursuit | Women | 17 February at 16:41 and 16:47 |
| 1500m | Men | 19 February at 16:30 |
| 1500m | Women | 20 February at 16:30 |
| Mass Start | Men | 21 February at 16:40 |
| Mass Start | Women | 21 February at 17:15 |
Short track speed skating (medal events)
If long track speed skating is about velocity, the short track version is no less exhilarating with skaters skimming the ice during hairpin turns. Don’t blink or you’ll miss it.
| Division | Gender | Date and time (CET) |
|---|---|---|
| Team Relay | Mixed | 10 February at 12:56 |
| 500m | Women | 12 February at 21:31 |
| 500m | Men | 18 February at 21:29 |
| 1000m | Men | 12 February at 21:43 |
| 1000m | Women | 16 February at 12:42 |
| 1500m | Men | 14 February at 22:34 |
| 1500m | Women | 20 February at 22:03 |
| 3000m Relay | Women | 18 February at 20:59 |
| 5000m Relay | Men | 20 February at 21:29 |
Time zones
All events will take place in Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo, and other venues in Northern Italy. Most of the key events above occur in the afternoon, which means Canadians should be able to catch most of them live in the morning or early afternoon.
Here’s a comparison of when the women’s and men’s ice hockey gold medal games are happening in local Canadian times.
| City | Time difference with Italy | Women’s hockey gold medal game (local time) | Men’s hockey gold medal game (local time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver (PST) | 9 hours | 21 Feb at 10:10 PST | 22 February at 5:10 PST |
| Edmonton (MST) | 8 hours | 21 Feb at 11:10 MST | 22 February at 6:10 MST |
| Regina (CST) | 7 hours | 21 Feb at 12:10 CST | 22 February at 7:10 CST |
| Winnipeg (CST) | 7 hours | 21 Feb at 12:10 CST | 22 February at 7:10 CST |
| Ottawa (EST) | 6 hours | 21 Feb at 13:10 EST | 22 February at 8:10 EST |
| Halifax (AST) | 5 hours | 21 Feb at 14:10 AST | 22 February at 9:10 AST |
| Newfoundland (NST) | 4.5 hours | 21 Feb at 14:40 NST | 22 February at 9:40 NST |
How to watch the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games
In Canada, CBC is the official media partner for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. You can watch events live on CBC and the free CBC Gem streaming service.
Live on CBC and ICI TÉLÉ television
CBC/Radio-Canada will be offering 22 hours of nearly round-the-clock live coverage so you can follow along even if you happen to be up at 2am. Live commentary and sports will be covered by longtime Olympics host Ron MacLean and two-time Olympian Perdita Felicien. In the afternoon and during primetime, CBC will replay the day’s major events, while the overnight broadcast will catch the earliest live sports happening in Italy.
French-language coverage of the Olympics will happen on ICI TÉLÉ and ICI TOU.TV. Pro tip: for a literally different perspective, check out these channels for alternative camera angles and focuses.
Live streams and replays on CBC Gem
CBC Gem, a free streaming service will provide live streams of every sport, so you’re not just limited to the most high-profile events typically featured on primetime television. That means if you’re only interested in one sport, you can choose to exclusively watch that on CBC Gem.
Exclusive content on social media
CBC Sports will host exclusive digital content on its social media channels, with replays, commentary and other programs on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.
