Tag: 2026 Italy Olympic Winter Games

Jack Hughes Reacts to Women’s Hockey Team Skipping State of the Union

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Team USA hockey hero Jack Hughes responded after it was revealed the Team USA women’s hockey team turned down an invitation to attend the State of the Union address.

“They’ve got busy schedules too,” Hughes, 24, told the Daily Mail on Monday, February 23. “Everyone is giving us backlash for all the social media stuff today.”

The “stuff” Hughes is referring to includes partying with FBI Director Kash Patel in the locker room after Team USA defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Sunday, February 22, after Hughes scored the game-winning goal.

“People are so negative out there and they are just trying to find a reason to put people down and make something out of almost nothing,” Hughes continued.

Related: Team USA Hockey Player Quinn Hughes Appears Drunk During Live TV Interview

It’s safe to say Team USA hockey player Quinn Hughes didn’t hold back in celebrating his team’s gold medal win. Hughes, 26, looked and sounded drunk during an on-air interview with NBC’s Mike Tirico after the United States’ 2-1 overtime win over Canada in the gold medal game. His brother and teammate, Jack Hughes, and […]

Hughes said the men’s hockey team’s bond with the women’s team is “so tight.” The American women also took home the gold at the 2026 Games with a 2-1 overtime win over Canada on Thursday, February 19.

Jack Hughes of United States celebrates the victory during the Ice Hockey Men’s Gold Medal Game match between Canada and USA on day sixteen of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy. Andrea Branca/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

“People are so negative about things,” Hughes said. “I think everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them, how proud we are of them and we know the same way we feel about them, they feel about us.”

Hughes’ comments followed a controversial phone call with President Donald Trump in the locker room after Team USA’s gold medal win, during which Trump, 79, took a perceived dig at the women’s team when he invited the men’s team to a celebration at the White House.

Joy Dunne #24 of United States, Megan Keller #5 of United States pose for a photo with their gold medal during the Women’s Gold Medal match between United States and Canada on day thirteen of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 19, 2026 in Milan, Italy. RvS.Media/Monika Majer/Getty Images

“We have medals for you guys. I must tell you, we‘re going to have to bring the women’s team,” Trump said, which earned hearty laughter from the players huddled around the phone.

Trump added that if he failed to invite the women’s team, “I do believe I probably would be impeached.”

Members of the Team USA men’s team are expected to be in attendance at the president’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, February 24.

“We’re giving the State of the Union speech on Tuesday night,” Trump told the team over the phone on Sunday. “I can send a military plane or something. But if you would like to [attend], it’s the coolest night.”

Related: Team USA Hockey Star Honors Gaudreau Brothers After Gold Medal Game

The Team USA men’s hockey team felt Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau’s spirits when they took home the gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics. “Johnny and Matty should be here and that is still the biggest loss that all of us at USA hockey, their families [and] our family, has gone through,” Dylan Larkin told reporters […]

Trump added, “Congratulations, that was an unbelievable game. Everyone that called me said, ‘I’m watching the hockey game.’ I don’t know of anybody who wasn’t. You’re going to be proud of that game for 50 years as you grow older. It was amazing. We love you guys. Congratulations and I hope to see you.”

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The White House also extended an invite to attend the State of the Union to Team USA’s women’s hockey, but they declined.

“We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal–winning U.S. Women’s Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their extraordinary achievement,” a USA Hockey spokesperson said in a statement on Monday. “Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate.”

The statement added, “They were honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment.”

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Daniel Trainor

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February 24, 2026
Reporter Apologizes for Having a ‘Drink’ After Slurred Speech During Broadcast

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Having one too many adult beverages happens to the best of us … but not all of us have to go on TV soon after.

Australian TV reporter Danika Mason apologized on a Thursday, February 19, broadcast from the 2026 Winter Olympics after going viral the day before when she started slurring her speech and speaking nonsense on a previous broadcast.

“I just want to take a moment, if that’s ok, just to apologize,” Mason said. “Look, I totally misjudged a situation. I shouldn’t have had a drink, especially in these situations. It’s cold, we’ve got altitude, and not having had dinner probably didn’t help as well.”

She continued, “I want to take full responsibility. It’s not the standard that I set for myself. So in saying that, I’m genuinely really sorry and I’m thanking everyone for those messages I’ve received as well.”

Mason, who is covering the Games for Channel Nine’s Today show, originally went viral after going on an off-topic rant during a live broadcast, seemingly slurring her words.

“Literally, the price of coffee over here is actually fine,” she said. “It’s more the price of coffee in the U.S. that we’re going to have to get used to. I’m not sure about the iguanas. Where are we going with that one? But, anyway.”

As Mason went through her speech, studio host Karl Stefanovic couldn’t help but laugh at the lighthearted situation.

Her studio tried to deflect the comments, telling viewers that “cold weather” can sometimes affect how people speak, then later defended Mason after her apology, calling her “the best” on the show.

Danika Mason Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

“Danika, don’t worry about it,” Stefanovic said after her apology. “Let’s move on. You’re a legend. Thanks, Danika, talk soon.”

Co-host Jayne Azzopardi also supported Mason, saying she knows “how hard you work, Danika.”

Mason even has the support of Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who discussed the viral situation on Melbourne radio show Nova 100’s Jase & Lauren.

“I’m pro Danika. Good on her,” Albanese said, per news.com.au. “She’s over in Italy… and she would have been tired. It’s the time difference. It would have been having an impact.”

Related: IOC President Addresses Savannah Guthrie’s Absence From Winter Olympics

The president of the International Olympic Committee is sending love to Savannah Guthrie, who backed out of covering the 2026 Winter Olympics amid the search for her mother, Nancy Guthrie. “I do want to say that our hearts and all of our thoughts and prayers are with Savannah,” Kristy Coventry said during an appearance on […]

On Australian talk show The Kenny Report, reporter Tim Blair jokingly said he was taking notes from Mason’s gaffe, in case he finds himself in a similar situation in the future.

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“All of us watching and all of us participating in this should adopt a policy in the future anytime we find ourselves in a situation like that, perhaps arriving at home a little late from an event, just say, ‘Don’t know what it is about the iguanas,’ ” Blair told host Chris Kenny. “It just sounds like it’s going to work for me.”

Sky News host James Macpherson also chimed in on his show on Sky News Australia later on Wednesday, brushing off the viral moment and calling it “entertaining.”

“I think most people watched it, had a laugh — I watched it three times because I thought it was entertaining — and we all move on,” Macpherson said. “Leave the girl alone.”

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Christopher Detwiler

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February 22, 2026
Gabriella Papadakis Responds to Guillaume Cizeron Winning Gold Medal

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French ice dancer Guillaume Cizeron and his partner, Laurence Fournier Beaudry, took home the gold in their free dance on Wednesday, February 11, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, but Cizeron’s former partner isn’t interested in cheering him on.

“Logging off xxx,” Gabriella Papadakis wrote via Instagram on Wednesday alongside a photo of a pack of cigarettes and a glass of wine.

Papadakis, 30, is now retired, but opened up in her new memoir about her experience working with Cizeron, 31. In it, she accuses the gold medalist of being “controlling, demanding, critical” during their time as partners. She eventually refused to skate with him without a coach present, feeling she was “under his grip.”

Cizeron responded to the allegations in a statement to French media in January, accusing Papadakis of engaging in a smear campaign against him.

Related: Ice Dancers Cizeron and Fournier Beaudry’s Gold-Medal Partnership Explained

French ice dancers Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry have been considered gold-medal contenders before the 2026 Winter Olympics even begin. Olympic medalist Cizeron joined forces with Fournier Beaudry in January 2025, quickly becoming a force in the ice dancing discipline. Their partnership, however, has been met with controversy. Keep scrolling for a full history: […]

“In the face of this smear campaign, I want to express my incomprehension and disagreement with the labels attributed to me,” he said. “The book contains false information, including statements I never made, which I consider serious. For more than 20 years, I have shown deep respect for Gabriella Papadakis, despite the gradual erosion of our bond, our relationship was built on equal collaboration and marked by success and mutual support.”

Papadakis hasn’t backed down. An Olympic gold medalist herself, she previously served as a commentator for NBC but was ultimately let go ahead of the 2026 games. NBC told The New York Times in January that her book created a “clear conflict of interest” with Cizeron set to compete.

Papadakis also took aim at the culture around ice dancing in her memoir, explaining that it lends itself to an environment where men have all the power.

“The environment I was working in had become deeply unhealthy,” she wrote. “I was exhausted, physically and psychologically, and I had to leave to protect myself. I had no choice.”

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Related: Skater Fournier Beaudry Opens Up About Former Partner’s Assault Allegation

Olympic figure skater Laurence Fournier Beaudry is opening up about her former skating partner and boyfriend Nikolaj Sorensen’s sexual assault allegations. In the first episode of the Netflix docuseries, Glitter & Gold: Ice Dancing, released on Sunday, February 1, Fournier Beaudry, 33, discusses the impact of the allegations. “I never really publicly discuss about how […]

She has been following the Olympics from home. Papadakis posted a video via Instagram on Sunday, February 8, where she encouraged fans to remember “whose voices are excluded from the arena and to engage critically with a spectacle that is built upon erasure and abuse.”

“I’m sharing my experiences because I believe in a sport where young athletes don’t have to endure what I did in order to achieve their dreams,” she wrote in the caption. “It is however incredibly difficult to make sport safer when survivors’ voices are still being silenced. I had to end my competitive career because I could no longer tolerate abuse. And now, as a result of speaking up about it I’ve lost my job.”

Papadakis continued, “I don’t single myself out as a victim. I use my experience to highlight a reality: as long as survivors are punished for speaking out, the sport cannot truly change or become safer. As the Winter Olympics unfold, I encourage you to engage critically with the spectacle. Spectators have power, and the way we choose to watch, support, question, or look away helps shape the culture of the sport.”

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Russell Steinberg

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February 12, 2026
Breezy Johnson Gets Engaged at After Crash at 2026 Winter Olympics

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Breezy Johnson‘s 2026 Winter Olympics journey is ending with more than just a medal — she also earned an engagement ring.

Following her run in the women’s super-G event on Thursday, February 12, Johnson’s boyfriend, Connor Watkins, got down on one knee and proposed at the finish line.

“You have worked so hard and achieved so much, and yet you still find the time to love me, to make me feel special, and most importantly, you help me love myself,” he said during the sentimental moment, per the Today show. “There’s only one way I want to spend the rest of my life, and that is by your side. I love you. Will you marry me?”

Johnson, 30, was moved to tears during the proposal and gave Watkins a quick yes.

Related: Behind-the-Scenes on Team USA’s Dramatic Journey to the 2026 Winter Olympics

The 2026 Winter Olympics are officially here — and Team USA is arriving in Italy with star power, storylines and sky-high expectations. As the world’s best athletes descend on Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, all eyes are on the Americans: from Ilia Malinin’s can’t-miss moment in men’s figure skating to Mikaela Shiffrin’s long-awaited redemption tour on […]

Moments earlier, Johnson crashed on the super-G course in Cortina. More than a dozen skiers did not finish the race. (Johnson previously nabbed a gold medal in in the women’s downhill event and landed in fourth place in the women’s team combined with Mikaela Shiffrin.)

US Ski Team/Instagram

Johnson and Watkins appeared on the Today show on Thursday morning after their engagement, with the Olympian showing off her new ring.

“When you make mistakes like that in ski racing, you feel kind of stupid … Seeing him [at the bottom of the mountain] was really exciting,” Johnson said while reflecting on the whirlwind end of the super-G race.

Watkins admitted he feels “nervous” whenever Johnson is skiing, but this moment was on another level. “She got up after the crash and was good, and that was a sigh of relief,” he said. “And then my heart started racing again because I knew I was about to get down on my own knee and propose.”

Watkins also noted that he “had a backup plan just in case” the timing wasn’t right for a public proposal after the race.

Related: Team USA Winter Olympians Don’t Understand Why Their Medals Are Breaking

Several 2026 Winter Olympics athletes competing in Milan have found themselves celebrating their big wins with broken medals. Team USA athlete Breezy Johnson — who won gold in the women’s downhill alpine skiing event on Sunday, February 8 — revealed to reporters that her medal was officially in two separated parts. “So there’s the medal. […]

Johnson’s father was unable to attend the Winter Olympics in Italy after a recent ski accident of his own. She told the Today show cohosts that she “can’t wait to celebrate” her major successes — both on and off the mountain — with her family once she returns home.

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Along with giving his future wife a new ring, Watkins offered a wooden token decorated with lyrics from Taylor Swift‘s song “The Alchemy” which read, “Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?”

Johnson previously came out as bisexual in 2022. “Before this season starts I wanted to be open about who I am,” she shared via Instagram at the time. “To those 🏳️‍🌈 people out there who feel a little different and want to see people like them at the top I am here to represent that we are out there, we are normal, and we can do whatever we want.”

She continued, “To the trolls who want to hate, hate doesn’t beat love. To those who have no idea what I’m saying, head over to Google if ya want to know. To those who just want to hear about racing, headed to Copper for the final training block! LFG With love to all who support me, I appreciate it.”

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Meredith Nardino

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February 12, 2026
Team USA Ilia Malinin’s 2026 Olympics Debut Features On-Ice Backflip

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Team USA figure skater Ilia Malinin flipped the script during his 2026 Winter Olympics debut.

Malinin, 21, represented the United States in the men’s singles portion of the figure skating team event on Saturday, February 7, where he nailed many of his signature quad jumps before nailing a gravity-defying on-the-ice backflip.

“I don’t watch ice skating but I’ve never seen someone hit a backflip on skates,” one X user wrote. “Ilia Malinin is crazy.”

Another fan tweeted, “The CHEEEEEEER for ilia malinin’s backflip, imagine how loud it’s about to be when he lands a quad axel. whole buildings [about] to collapse.”

Backflips haven’t been performed in Olympics figure skating competitions in decades. American athlete Terry Kubicka landed the first backflip at the 1976 Games, one year before the International Skating Union (ISU) banned the move for being too dangerous. French skater Surya Bonaly later executed a backflip at the 1998 Olympics, famously landing on one blade. She ultimately received a point deduction for performing a banned move.

“At first I was almost, like, ashamed [and I thought], ‘Maybe I’m going to be hated forever,’” Bonaly, 52, recalled in a 2020 interview with Olympics.com. “I’m not that [much of] a rebel. I feel more proud of myself now than years ago when I did it. I think as a pioneer, I think [it] is most important to be able to say that.”

The ISU ultimately reversed its decision to ban backflips in 2024, opening the door for Malinin’s short program at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Ilia Malinin competes in the figure skating team event on Saturday, February 7. ANTONIN THUILLIER / AFP

Malinin earned a score of 98.00 for his exemplary routine, finishing in second place behind Japanese skater Yuma Kagiyama. Despite his runner-up placement, Malinin helped Team USA keep their lead in the team competition. Japan and Italy trail the U.S. in second and third place, respectively.

Saturday also marked Malinin’s official Olympics debut.

“Everyone sees me at competitions and I’m just so focused, I’m really in a different mindset where I’m pretty much as perfect as I can be,” Malinin exclusively told Us Weekly of his pre-competition mindset before the Games commenced. “But in reality, I’m not perfect. I’ll have bad days, I’ll have good days. It’s really the thing that tells people, ‘Oh, he’s really human like the rest of us.’”

While Malinin — affectionately nicknamed “The Quad God” — is the favorite to walk away with a medal, he’s not giving weight to the external pressure.

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“I kind of like to keep it the same. I try not to overthink it too much, especially with the Olympics,” he explained. “It’s kind of just another competition for me. That’s the mindset I want to have going into them.”

Related: Behind-the-Scenes on Team USA’s Dramatic Journey to the 2026 Winter Olympics

The 2026 Winter Olympics are officially here — and Team USA is arriving in Italy with star power, storylines and sky-high expectations. As the world’s best athletes descend on Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, all eyes are on the Americans: from Ilia Malinin’s can’t-miss moment in men’s figure skating to Mikaela Shiffrin’s long-awaited redemption tour on […]

According to Malinin, he’s hoping to walk away with more than just a medal (or a few) at the Milan games.

“My perfect idea for success for the Olympics is to really bring back a huge majority of popularity in skating,” he told Us. “Just bring it back to its prime days where, decades ago, all arenas were sold out for anything related to skating. It was extremely popular. It was televised on every single channel. That’s something I really want to bring back. A lot of people will be watching the Olympics, so I think that’s where I can inform them about this idea.”

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Miranda Siwak

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February 7, 2026