The 2026 Olympics in Italy will kick off with the first finals and performances by Ukrainian athletes
On Saturday, 7 February, the first five sets of medals will be awarded at the XXV Winter Olympic Games in Italy, reports DW. In total, ten sports will be contested on the first day of competition, with winners and medallists being determined in five of them.
Ukrainian athletes will compete in four disciplines. Kateryna Kotsar will compete in the freestyle slopestyle qualification. Dmytro Shepyuk will represent Ukraine in the downhill skiing event. Anastasia Nikon, Sofia Shkatula, Yelizaveta Nopriyenko and Daria Migal will compete in the women's skiathlon. Andriy Mandziy and Anton Dukach will compete in the singles luge, making two attempts.
In total, the 2026 Olympics programme includes 16 sports and 116 sets of awards. Ukraine will be represented at the Games by 46 athletes who will compete in 11 disciplines. Biathlon and luge have the largest representation, with ten athletes each, as well as freestyle, with nine participants. Six Ukrainians will compete in cross-country skiing, for whom this will be their Olympic debut.
The opening ceremony of the Olympics took place yesterday in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. The main show was hosted by the San Siro stadium, and parades of athletes also took place in Cortina, Livigno and Predazzo. A special feature of the Games were two Olympic cauldrons in Milan and Cortina. The ceremony was attended by world stars, and the Games were officially opened by Italian President Sergio Mattarella. The Olympics will last until 22 February.
