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Tag: 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Games

  • Lindsey Vonn crashes early in Olympic downhill, taken off mountain in helicopter

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    CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Lindsey Vonn, racing on a badly injured left knee, crashed early in the Olympic downhill on Sunday and was taken off the course by a helicopter after the 41-year-old American received medical attention on the snow.

    Vonn lost control over the opening traverse after cutting the line too tight and was spun around in the air. She was heard screaming out after the crash as she was surrounded by medical personnel before she was strapped to a gurney and flown away by a helicopter, possibly ending the skier’s storied career.

    The race was put on hold as she received treatment. Vonn’s teammate, Breezy Johnson, held the early lead.

    Vonn had family in the stands, including her father, Alan Kildow, who stared down at the ground while his daughter was being treated. Others in the crowd, including Snoop Dogg, watched quietly as the star skier was finally taken off the course where she had so many fond memories.

    All eyes were on Vonn, the feel-good story heading into the Olympics. She returned to elite ski racing last season after nearly six years, a remarkable decision at any time given her age but she also had a partial titanium knee replacement in her right knee, too. Many wondered how she would fare.

    She stunned everyone by being a contender almost immediately. She came to the Olympics as the leader in the World Cup downhill standings and was a gold-medal favorite before her crash in Switzerland nine days ago, when she suffered her latest knee injury. In addition to a ruptured ACL, she also had a bone bruise and meniscus damage.

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    AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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  • Skier Mikaela Shiffrin leans into challenge at her fourth Olympics

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    CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — The vibes never get old for Mikaela Shiffrin. Even now, four Olympics in.

    There they were on Saturday, right where they’ve always been, as the most decorated skier of all time made the familiar trip into the upscale northern Italy resort town that’s long brought a sense of comfort.

    Reminders of what’s at stake for Shiffrin over the next two weeks are everywhere. It’s hard to turn around without seeing Olympic branding splashed across something. Even, perhaps inadvertently, the moments you’d think she’d like to forget.

    As the 30-year-old spoke about still being “wide-eyed” about returning to the kind of spotlight only the world’s biggest sporting event provides, the ghost of Shiffrin’s nightmarish trip to Beijing four years ago loomed quite literally a few feet away.

    The promotional picture is of Shiffrin in full flight, body leaning into the next gate, eyes focused on the course ahead. Yet look a little closer, and the “Beijing” bib is hard to miss. Shiffrin left China without a medal, crashing out in three races and failing to reach the podium in three others.

    Sure, she’ll carry the weight of that experience into the starting gate in Cortina. Just don’t think it’s any heavier than the slalom gold she won as a teenager in Sochi.

    As if to offer proof, Shiffrin glanced over her shoulder at the image captured during one of the most competitively (if not physically) difficult stretches of her career and almost reflexively came up with a joke.

    “It’s pretty cool,” she said, laughing. “(At least) it’s a picture where I was on my feet, you know?”

    Yes, what happened in Beijing is part of her story. It’s hardly all of it. Even if she’s well aware that there will be a segment of the audience tuning in over the next 10 days that hasn’t watched her snap into a pair of skis since those draining days at Yanqing National Alpine Ski Centre in early 2022.

    All she’s done in the interim is push her World Cup victory total to a record 108 and counting, sustain a freakish puncture wound to her abdomen during a giant slalom in Vermont in late 2024, and battle a combination of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and self-doubt to reach the podium in the GS last month for the first time in nearly two years.

    Asked if it’s fair that what happens under the Olympic rings can have an outsized impact on the outward perception of her — when her resume suggests she’s the Greatest of All-Time (a moniker she shies away from) — and Shiffrin shrugs.

    She described having the chance to ski on the world stage as a “beautiful gift.” If the price is the pressure of knowing that “judgments can be made on the sole moment when there’s so much else that has gone on,” it’s one she will pay again and again, no questions asked.

    “Like Billie Jean King said, ‘Pressure is a privilege,’” Shiffrin said in a nod to the iconic quote by the tennis pioneer. “And that doesn’t always feel that way. But right now it really does feel like a privilege. I’m grateful for that.”

    It’s hardly the only thing she’s grateful for. Shiffrin and her team have pared her competition schedule, sticking to her signature events — slalom, GS and the team combined — this time around. The narrower focus is working. She’s already clinched a record ninth World Cup slalom title and is regaining a racer’s mentality in giant slalom, a process that’s nudged her to the fringe of her comfort zone little by little while expanding that zone at the same time.

    “I’m at a point now where I’m excited to ski a fast GS,” she said.

    Only maybe up to a point. There are still a handful of turns during a race where a part of her brain sets off an alarm that rings “that’s enough.”

    “That might not be anything but mental,” she said. “That might just be that I don’t particularly like to go that fast. I feel more like my aunt than my mom, who really likes to ski fast. But that’s another story for another time.”

    The story for this time will be written in the coming days. She has no interest in defining what will pass for a “success.” That will come much later. If she’s learned anything since her Olympic debut as an 18-year-old, it’s not get over her skis when it comes to expectations. The most she can hope for is getting on “outside her ski,” something that only happens when you’re at your most confident.

    “Outside ski is the boss,” she said. “If you’re on your outside ski, you’re in the driver’s seat.”

    The wheel can remain slippery at times. Looking back, she understands her inability to get on that outside ski played a factor in the crash in Killington that sent a gate pole smashing into her abdomen before she went sprawling into the catch fence.

    The physical wound has long since healed. The mental one? Well, that takes time. Shiffrin is getting there. Being at a place she loves — she thinks even with the Olympic branding everywhere, Cortina still feels like Cortina — helps.

    The Olympics are a challenge. From the logistics of simply getting around to the outsized attention she commands at every turn, whether she wants it or not. She is trying to embrace it all.

    Shiffrin was answering a question about the challenge of consistently competing at a high level in slalom when she stumbled upon a metaphor that describes what she’ll face in Italy, from external expectations to the inevitable comparisons of teammate Lindsey Vonn to the never-ending wrangling with her own self-confidence.

    “It feels like ‘Whac-a-Mole,’ except for you’re the mole,” she said. “And you don’t want to be a mole. You want to be whacking, you know what I mean?”

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    AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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  • Who is Jutta Leerdam, the Dutch Olympic speedskater fiancé of Jake Paul?

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    MILAN — On the ice, Jutta Leerdam is an Olympic medalist speedskater for the Netherlands who is entered in the 500 and 1,000 meters at the Milan Cortina Winter Games. Off the ice, Leerdam gets a lot of attention for her engagement to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul — who is also at these Olympics, but as a spectator.

    Separately, Leerdam and Paul have big followings on social media. Together, they draw a lot of eyeballs and interest, and he is expected to attend her events in Milan.

    Leerdam did not race at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium on Saturday; she will start competing next week. Paul was spotted on Saturday, though, at another venue, sitting and chatting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance as the U.S. women’s hockey team defeated Finland 5-0.

    Leerdam is a 27-year-old Dutch athlete who took home a silver medal in the 1,000 meters from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. She also took part in the 500 four years ago, coming in fifth place.

    Leerdam’s trophy collection includes 12 world championship medals, with six golds. Two of those titles arrived in the 1,000 — in 2020 and 2023.

    She has about 5 million followers on Instagram.

    The first event for Leerdam in Milan will come Monday in the 1,000 meters.

    She then is scheduled to race again on Feb. 15 in the 500, in which American Erin Jackson is the reigning Olympic champion.

    Leerdam is considered a medal contender in both events.

    Paul is a 29-year-old American influencer who first gained fame for his YouTube videos and then made his way into the world of boxing about five years ago.

    He most recently had his jaw broken during sixth-round knockout loss to former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua at Miami in December.

    Paul has also gone up against a 58-year-old Mike Tyson in November 2024, plus Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., retired UFC fighters Anderson Silva and Nate Díaz and former NBA player Nate Robinson.

    Leerdam and Paul posted news about their engagement on Instagram in March.

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    AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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  • Italian police fire tear gas as protesters clash near Winter Olympics hockey venue

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    MILAN — Italian police fired tear gas and a water cannon at dozens of protesters who threw firecrackers and tried to access a highway near a Winter Olympics venue on Saturday.

    The brief confrontation came at the end of a peaceful march by thousands against the environmental impact of the Games and the presence of U.S. agents in Italy.

    Police held off the violent demonstrators, who appeared to be trying to reach the Santagiulia Olympic ice hockey rink, after the skirmish. By then, the larger peaceful protest, including families with small children and students, had dispersed.

    Earlier, a group of masked protesters had set off smoke bombs and firecrackers on a bridge overlooking a construction site about 800 meters (a half-mile) from the Olympic Village that’s housing around 1,500 athletes.

    Police vans behind a temporary metal fence secured the road to the athletes’ village, but the protest veered away, continuing on a trajectory toward the Santagiulia venue. A heavy police presence guarded the entire route.

    There was no indication that the protest and resulting road closure interfered with athletes’ transfers to their events, all on the outskirts of Milan.

    The demonstration coincided with U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Milan as head of the American delegation that attended the opening ceremony on Friday.

    He and his family visited Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” closer to the city center, far from the protest, which also was against the deployment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to provide security to the U.S. delegation.

    U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, an ICE unit that focuses on cross-border crimes, frequently sends its officers to overseas events like the Olympics to assist with security. The ICE arm at the forefront of the immigration crackdown in the U.S. is known as Enforcement and Removal Operations, and there is no indication its officers are being sent to Italy.

    At the larger, peaceful demonstration, which police said numbered 10,000, people carried cardboard cutouts to represent trees felled to build the new bobsled run in Cortina. A group of dancers performed to beating drums. Music blasted from a truck leading the march, one a profanity-laced anti-ICE anthem.

    “Let’s take back the cities and free the mountains,” read a banner by a group calling itself the Unsustainable Olympic Committee. Another group called the Association of Proletariat Excursionists organized the cutout trees.

    “They bypassed the laws that usually are needed for major infrastructure project, citing urgency for the Games,” said protester Guido Maffioli, who expressed concern that the private entity organizing the Games would eventually pass on debt to Italian taxpayers.

    Homemade signs read “Get out of the Games: Genocide States, Fascist Police and Polluting Sponsors,” the final one a reference to fossil fuel companies that are sponsors of the Games. One woman carried an artificial tree on her back decorated with the sign: “Infernal Olympics.”

    The demonstration followed another last week when hundreds protested the deployment of ICE agents.

    Like last week, demonstrators Saturday said they were opposed to ICE agents’ presence, despite official statements that a small number of agents from an investigative arm would be present in U.S. diplomatic territory, and not operational on the streets.

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  • Lindsey Vonn completes another training run and ready to race Olympic downhill on injured knee

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    CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Lindsey Vonn wrapped up her second successful training run in a row Saturday and appears ready to go for gold in the Milan Cortina Olympics downhill at the age of 41, little more than a week after rupturing the ACL of her left knee.

    The American crossed in third position, 0.37 seconds behind leader and teammate Breezy Johnson, and pumped her fist after seeing the result.

    “All good,” Vonn told The Associated Press.

    Vonn is preparing to race the downhill on Sunday with a large brace covering her injured knee. She had a partial titanium replacement inserted in her right knee in 2024 and then returned to ski racing last season after nearly six years of retirement. She crashed during the final World Cup downhill before the Olympics, raising the possibility that she would end not just her season but her career.

    Instead, she has been steadfast in saying she would ski at the Olympics if at all possible and, after a training run was canceled Thursday, hit the Olympia delle Tofana downhill course on Friday and Saturday with the other racers. She placed 11th in Thursday’s training, though the times mean nothing since the athletes do not always go all in.

    Vonn holds the record of 12 World Cup wins in Cortina.

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    AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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  • Minions to get Olympic moment as Spanish figure skater gets final approval for music

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    MILAN — Those mischievous Minions will have their Olympic moment after all.

    Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate obtained the final approval he needed for his music on Friday, allowing the Spanish figure skater to perform his short program — set to a medley from the animated comedy from Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment — when the men’s competition begins at the Milan Cortina Games on Tuesday night.

    Sabate had been performing the fan-favorite program all season, thinking he had the proper approval through a system called ClicknClear to use four cuts of music Minions. Last week, Universal Studios asked for him to provide more details on the music Sabate was using and the Minions-inspired outfit that he had been wearing.

    He was able to quickly get approval for two cuts of music, and Sabate obtained a third by reaching out directly to the artist, a fellow Spaniard. The hold up was the song “Freedom” by the American musician and producer Pharrell Williams.

    That approval finally came Friday, about two hours before the Olympic figure skating program opened with the team event.

    “I’m so happy to announce that we’ve done it! We’ve secured the licenses for all four songs, and I’ll be able to skate the Minions at the Olympic Games,” Sabate wrote on social media. “It hasn’t been an easy process, but the support of everyone who has followed my case has been key to keeping me motivated and optimistic these past few days.”

    At one point, Sabate’s situation had grown so dire that he began practicing his Bee Gee-inspired short program from last year. But as news of his plight came out, and he began to get approval for some of the music, his hopes of performing Minions began to grow.

    He even practiced the program, which opens with peels of laughter from the characters, during an early session Thursday. By the next morning, the Royal Spanish Ice Sports Federation announced that the copyright issue had been resolved.

    “I want to thank ClickClear and the RFEDH, as well as Universal Pictures, Pharrell Williams, Sony Music and Juan Alcaraz for managing the rights in such a short time so I can perform my program in Milan,” Sabate said.

    The copyright issue has become a big problem in figure skating, where for years skaters could only use music without words, usually considered part of the public domain. But when the rules changed in 2014, and more modern music began to be used in competition, some artists began to object to their work being used without the proper permission.

    Two-time world medalist Loena Hendrickx of Belgium also had copyright issues ahead of the Olympics.

    The Belgian had been performing her short program to “Ashes” by Celine Dion from the film “Deadpool 2.” But after the European championships last month, her brother and coach, Jorik Hendrickx, and choreographer Adam Solya became concerned that the music would not be approved for the Olympics, and they decided to change the soundtrack at the last minute.

    Hendrickx is now performing a slightly modified program to “I Surrender,” another song by Dion, which has the same rhythm and feel as “Ashes.” She was able to obtain permission for that piece because it is part of ClicknClear’s catalogue of licenses.

    The 26-year-old Sabate is not considered a medal contender at the Olympics; he was 20th at the world championships last year. But after the past week, he figures to have plenty of support when he brings the Minions with him Tuesday night.

    “Right now, I just want to give my all on the ice and perform a program worthy of the love I’ve received from around the world,” Sabate said. “I’m thrilled by the love that a small skater from a small federation has received.”

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    AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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  • Chock and Bates rock the ice with world-best score to open figure skating at Milan Cortina Olympics

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    MILAN — MILAN (AP) — Madison Chock and Evan Bates rock-and-rolled their way to a world-best 91.06 points in the rhythm dance Friday to open the team competition at the Milan Cortina Olympics, where the American figure skaters are the reigning champions.

    Cheered on by a crowd that included Vice President J.D. Vance, his family and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chock and Bates were able to secure their team the maximum 10 points for their Lenny Kravitz-inspired dance while making a big early statement.

    The three-time world champions, Chock and Bates are the favorites to win individual Olympic gold later in the Winter Games. But they’ll be pushed by the new French team of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, who had made their own statement minutes before Chock and Bates took the ice when they set their own world-best score of 89.98 points.

    “We’re not focused on that,” Chock said. “We’re just doing what we do.”

    They couldn’t have done it a whole lot better.

    The team event is expected to come down to the U.S. and Japan for the gold medal. The win by Chock and Bates in the rhythm dance, coupled with an eighth-place result for Utana Yoshia and Masaya Morita, means the U.S. has a big early lead.

    The short program for women and pairs were later Friday, just hours before the opening ceremony. Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea were on the ice in pairs for the U.S. with world champion Alysa Liu performing her short program.

    “We definitely skated great and we’re very happy, as you saw when we finished. I think we both felt the excitement of just getting these Olympics underway,” said Bates, who along with Chock are the only holdovers from the gold medalists at the Beijing Games.

    “That’s great start,” Bates added. “It’s always a great feeling to do it for U.S.”

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    AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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  • Vance: Olympics are ‘one of the few things’ that unite Americans

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    MILAN — U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrived with his family Thursday, telling U.S. athletes competing in the Milan Cortina Winter Games that the competition “is one of the few things that unites the entire country” before taking his family to see a hockey game.

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    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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    By MICHELLE L. PRICE – Associated Press

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  • Cortina is abuzz for the Winter Olympics. Co-host Milan not so much

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    MILAN — In Cortina d’Ampezzo you can’t escape the fact the mountain town is gearing up for its second Winter Olympics.

    In Milan you could easily miss that the Games are about to start.

    The vibe in the two main hubs for the 2026 Milan Cortina Games could not be more different.

    Cortina, surrounded by the jagged peaks of the Dolomites, has seen snow falling much of the week, adding to the idyllic feel of being in a luxury mountain resort town. Blue-and-white flags that say Cortina 1956 2026 — recalling the previous time Cortina hosted the Games — hang on wooden homes and other buildings and the Olympic cauldron is near the church in the center of town.

    In Milan, it’s not snow that’s fallen but rain. Italy’s bustling fashion and financial center has a lot going on that’s unrelated to the Games, so step outside the center of the city and there’s barely an inkling of the Olympic rings.

    “I don’t think it’s their (Milan’s) fault. I just think it’s the structure of the Games and trying to be economic by spreading it out to different regions,” said Sam Durante, who travelled from Calgary with his wife Melissa to cheer on their daughter — the goalkeeper for the Italian ice hockey team. “It makes sense, but it creates a bit of a disjointed Games.”

    The Durantes went to the Calgary Games in 1988 in their hometown and they admit in terms of Olympic atmosphere Milan is a bit of a letdown.

    “It was electric because all of the events were close by,” said Sam Durante. “I think it’s a little disjointed here.

    “I think Milan is starting to embrace the Olympic spirit, but it’s not to the same extent that we had in Calgary.”

    The Durantes were looking at Milan Cortina merchandise in the megastore that is in Milan’s main square, in front of the city’s imposing cathedral.

    The countdown clock is on one side of the square, while one of the nearby streets is festooned with strings of lights, with each one depicting a different Olympic sport.

    The piazza is at the heart of the Olympic boulevard that runs from the main train station to the fan zone and cauldron.

    There’s little sign of the Olympics in the rest of Milan, especially with the venues for ice hockey, speed skating and figure skating on the outskirts of the city and far from each other.

    “It’s lacking a bit of atmosphere,” said Faizan Mohammad, a 31-year-old insurer from Milan. “I don’t really feel at the moment that the Olympics is happening, I see it more as an inconvenience at the moment because of the various road closures.

    “I think when it starts it will get better. I can’t wait, because of that. Because at the moment I see more inconveniences. Then I hope to also see a bit of sport and competition, a bit of happiness.”

    While the umbrellas were up in Milan against the rain on a gray Wednesday afternoon, they were up in Cortina against the heavy snow — with that adding to the picturesque, wintry scene with the town’s main church at the backdrop. During quiet moments, birds are easy to hear in the pine trees on the edge of the village bustling with last-minute preparations for the fans.

    Matthew Greiner, an American luger, said the atmosphere in Cortina is “electric.” Italian luger Leon Felderer said there are “always good vibes” in Cortina, “everybody’s happy.” He said he feels much more at home in the mountains than he would in a big city.

    “I’m very glad that we got the track here in Cortina,” he said Thursday at the Cortina Olympic and Paralympic Village.

    Francesca Alberte works at the Golden Goose boutique. On a break Wednesday, she walked through downtown, looking up at the national flags that hung across the street for the Olympics.

    She said there’s an air of excitement in Cortina for the Olympics, though also some trepidation. Construction at the venues was not finished even as athletes and fans were arriving.

    “All the people are so excited and so emotional for this big event,” she said. “We are a little bit afraid for a lot of things that are not ready, but we’re happy and excited for this event.”

    Alberte said locals love Cortina because of the views of the Dolomites and because it’s a small town that has everything.

    American alpine ski racer Jackie Wiles said she loves Cortina, too.

    “Whatever happens in the race, you just love being in the Dolomites. Walking through town, everyone has fur coats on,” she said. “So I feel like it’s just a cool place to be.”

    Indeed, Cortina’s main street is lined with shops selling cashmere and designer clothes, as well as high-end ski gear. In a shop window, a long, green women’s snow jacket retailed for 750 euros ($885 U.S. dollars). A men’s ski outfit retailed for 700 euros ($826 U.S. dollars).

    Peter Kristen, a tourist from Slovakia, purchased Olympics souvenirs while visiting Cortina for the first time on a ski trip. He said Cortina is posh and he noticed “a lot of construction.”

    James Reed, a former bobsledder who is now a photographer for the U.S. bobsledding team, described Cortina as a “ritzy mountain town” similar to Vail or Aspen in Colorado, as he walked past the shops.

    “The beautiful skiing, beautiful mountains, lots of great hotels and restaurants and shops,” he said. “It’s a really great place to come to.”

    Holding an umbrella to keep the snow off her gray fur coat, Milan resident Mariella Mariani walked around Cortina with her husband to see the setup for the Olympics.

    She said that while the Olympic hosts are nothing alike, the Games will benefit both locations.

    “It’s an important event for our country,” she said.

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    McDermott reported from Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

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    AP Winter Olympics coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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    The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

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  • Minions hit Olympic ice: Spanish skater close to music approval

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    MILAN — It appears as if those troublemaking Minions will be taking the Olympic ice after all.

    Spanish figure skater Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate said after practice early Thursday that he has received the necessary approval for three of the four music cuts he needs to perform his short program. The only piece missing from his medley is “Freedom” by Pharrell Williams, and the American musician and producer has been sympathetic to his plight.

    “They are discussing it,” Sabate told The Associated Press and a few other reporters. “He seems to be OK, but there’s problems because he’s restricted by his label. A lot of technical stuff. But they are working to make it happen.”

    Sabate was optimistic enough to practice his Minions-themed program shortly after 7 a.m. local time inside a nearly empty Milano Ice Skating Arena. The program opens with peels of laughter from the characters before going into music from the film franchise.

    Sabate had performed the program all season, believing he had gone through the proper protocols in a system called ClicknClear to obtain the necessary permissions. But then on Friday, Universal Studios stepped in, asking for more details not only on the music being used but also the blue-and-yellow Minions-themed outfit that Sabate plans to wear.

    Suddenly, the possibility of performing Minions became so dire that Sabate began practicing last year’s program, set to music by the Bee Gees. The big problem with that plan: He used the same music for his free skate this season.

    “Then people started sharing, reposting, sending so much support and love to me,” Sabate said. “The next thing I know, I wake up Tuesday with I don’t know how many messages. … And I think Tuesday night I had a message from people telling me Universal had changed their mind, and you have the rights to the first two pieces of music.”

    One of the two remaining pieces turned out to be a Spanish artist, so Sabate reached out to him on social media. They had a chat over the phone and he was able to get approval. That left only the Pharrell Williams part in question.

    The copyright problem is relatively new in figure skating. For years, music using lyrics was not allowed, and classical music and other standard fare was part of the public domain, meaning it could be used or modified freely and without permission.

    That changed in 2014, when the International Skating Union began to allow words. Fast-forward to the 2022 Beijing Olympics, and one of the indie artists who covered “House of the Rising Sun” objected to the use of its work by American pairs skaters Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier. The ensuing lawsuit prompted the ISU to develop systems to help skaters get proper permissions.

    The process remains confusing and full of pitfalls.

    In fact, Sabate isn’t the only one at the Milan Cortina Olympics affected by it.

    Two-time world medalist Loena Hendrickx of Belgium had been performing her short program to “Ashes” by Celine Dion from the film “Deadpool 2.” But after the European championships last month, her brother and coach, Jorik Hendrickx, and choreographer Adam Solya grew concerned that the music would not be approved for the Olympics, forcing them to change course.

    Hendrickx is now performing what is largely the same program to “I Surrender,” another song by Dion, which has the same feel as “Ashes.” She was able to obtain permission for that piece because it is part of ClicknClear’s catalogue of licenses.

    Other skaters also have had to make minor modifications to their Olympic programs over the past few weeks.

    “We don’t want athletes to be worried about the music,” ISU president Jae Youl Kim told AP recently. “It’s really complicated because sometimes one piece of music is owned by 16 different individuals and entities, different rights holders. So actually we are taking a different approach. We are talking directly with the major music labels: ‘Guys, these are young skaters. How can we find a solution that works for everybody?’ We’re still in discussions. But this is something that we are very seriously committed to.”

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    AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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  • Finland women’s Olympic hockey game vs. Canada postponed after stomach virus depletes roster

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    MILAN — Finland women’s hockey team’s preliminary round-opening game against Canada on Thursday has been postponed due to a stomach virus depleting Finland’s roster.

    The game was rescheduled to Feb. 12.

    The decision to postpone the game was announced shortly after Finland completed its early afternoon practice with just eight skaters and two goalies. The remaining 13 players are either in quarantine or isolation due to a norovirus that began affecting the team on Tuesday night.

    The postponement provides Finland two extra days to rest before playing the U.S. on Saturday. Had their game against Canada not been postponed, Finnish officials were considering the possibility of a forfeiture.

    “While all stakeholders recognize the disappointment of not playing the game as originally scheduled, this was a responsible and necessary decision that reflects the spirit of the Olympic Games and the integrity of the competition,” Olympic officials announced.

    “All stakeholders thank teams, partners and fans for their cooperation and understanding, and look forward to the rescheduled game being played under safe and appropriate conditions.”

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    AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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  • IOC open to earlier dates for future Winter Olympics and Paralympics because of warmer temperatures

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    MILAN — Staging future Winter Games as early as January and the Paralympic Winter Games in February is a possibility because of the effects of warmer temperatures, the International Olympic Committee said Wednesday.

    Every Winter Games medal was won in February since the 1964 Innsbruck Olympics opened Jan. 29, and moving to January would likely disrupt scheduling of storied World Cup races and events. It also would more directly clash with NFL and NBA schedules.

    The IOC is now reviewing Olympic Games issues in the first year of Kirsty Coventry’s presidency and changing the winter edition dates is an option.

    “Maybe we are also discussing to bring the Winter Olympics a little bit earlier,” the IOC member overseeing the sports program review, Karl Stoss, told reporters. “To do it in January because it has an implication for the Paralympics as well.”

    The Milan Cortina Paralympic Winter Games will be held March 6-15.

    The IOC has long acknowledged under Coventry’s predecessor Thomas Bach that changing climate is a challenge for finding future hosts and organizing competitions.

    “(March) is very late because the sun is strong enough to melt the snow,” said Stoss, whose home country Austria is a traditional power in Alpine skiing and ski jumping.

    “Maybe the Paralympics will be in February and the other edition will be in January. That would also be a part of our discussion,” he said on the sidelines of the IOC’s eve-of-Olympics meeting in Milan.

    The 100-plus IOC members should meet again in June to make decisions about the Olympic reviews, in a program called “Fit For The Future,” and whether to add new sports and events to the 2030 French Alps Winter Games.

    The French Alps edition is currently expected to run Feb. 1-17 and the 2034 Utah Winter Games from Feb. 10–26.

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    AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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  • Vonn ‘confident’ she can race at Olympics with ruptured ACL in left knee

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    CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Lindsey Vonn has done this before. And succeeded.

    The 41-year-old American skiing standout is “confident” she can compete at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics despite a torn ACL from a crash four days ago.

    Vonn said that the damage to her left knee was a “completely ruptured” ACL, bone bruising “plus meniscal damage.”

    After three days of physical therapy and doctors’ advice, Vonn tried skiing on Tuesday. She did not appear to be limping as she entered and exited a news conference.

    “My knee is not swollen, and with the help of a knee brace, I am confident that I can compete on Sunday,” Vonn said. “And as long as there’s a chance, I will try . . . I will do everything in my power to be in the starting gate.”

    Vonn crashed in a World Cup downhill in Crans-Montana, Switzerland on Friday and ended up in the safety nets. After skiing to the bottom of the course she was taken to hospital.

    Vonn is expected to be one of the biggest stars of the Winter Games, which start Friday with the opening ceremony. Her first race comes two days later in the women’s downhill. She also plans on competing in super-G and the new team combined event.

    The opening women’s downhill training session is scheduled for Thursday.

    “My intention,” Vonn said, “is to race everything.”

    Vonn has had numerous crashes and injuries in her career. One of her worst was at the 2013 world championships in Schladming, Austria during a super-G that was also held in difficult conditions.

    Vonn tore her right knee. She returned the following season, got hurt again and missed the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

    She was also battered up before the 2019 world championships but took bronze in downhill before going into a nearly six-year retirement.

    “I’ve been in this position before. I know how to handle it,” Vonn said. “I feel a lot better now than I did in 2019 . . . And I still got a medal there with no LCL and three tibial plateau fractures. So, like I said, this is not an unknown for me. I’ve done this before.”

    She persevered through a bruised shin that she treated with topfen cheese before winning gold in downhill at the 2010 Games.

    “I don’t need topfen now. My knee isn’t swollen,” Vonn said.

    Still, Vonn added, “This would be the best comeback I’ve done so far. Definitely the most dramatic.”

    Teammate Bella Wright said Vonn has what it takes — a strong mental state — to ski through her injuries.

    “If anyone can do it, it’s Lindsey,” Wright said.

    Breezy Johnson, the downhill and combined world champion, was in a similar situation to Vonn at Cortina during a World Cup weekend in 2022.

    “I’ve tried and failed to ski this course with no ACL and that doesn’t mean that she can’t do it,” Johnson said. “There are more athletes that ski without ACLs and with knee damage than what we talk about.”

    Andrea Panzeri, the chief physician for the Italian Winter Sports Federation, said numerous athletes have competed at elite level with a torn ACL and other severe knee issues.

    Vonn’s fellow downhiller Sofia Goggia came back to win a silver medal at the 2022 Olympics weeks after spraining her left knee, partially tearing her ACL and suffering a “minor fracture” of the fibula bone in her leg — plus some tendon damage.

    Italian freetsyle skier Flora Tabanelli tore the ACL in her right knee in November but put off surgery until after the Olympics.

    Tabanelli is 18, though.

    “But (Vonn) has experience, the physical ability and the experience on this course,” Panzeri said. “If she decides to try and race, it’s because her clinical condition and her doctors are allowing her to. She doesn’t have anything to lose. I think it’s worth a try.”

    Vonn made a stunning comeback last season after nearly six years away. Skiing with a partial titanium implant in her right knee, she has been the circuit’s leading downhiller this season with two victories and three other podium finishes in five races.

    Including super-G, Vonn completed eight World Cup races and finished on the podium in seven of them. Her worst finish was fourth.

    Women’s skiing during the Games will be in Cortina, where Vonn holds the World Cup record with 12 wins.

    She has won three Olympic medals: Gold in downhill and bronze in super-G in 2010 and bronze in downhill in 2018.

    It hasn’t just been about recovery for Vonn these past few days.

    On her way to Cortina, she stopped at the grave of her childhood coach Erich Sailer, who died in August aged 99.

    Sailer coached Vonn at Buck Hill in Minnesota. He’s buried just outside Innsbruck, Austria.

    Vonn said she shed some tears during the graveside visit – the only tears she’s shed these past few days.

    “I miss him. And I know exactly what he would say to me right now. And it definitely gives me additional hope that I know that he would support me,” Vonn added.

    “He would say, ‘It’s only 90 seconds. What’s 90 seconds in a lifetime? It’s nothing. You can do it.’” Vonn said. “That’s what he said to me before my last run in Are, and I know he would say it to me again today.”

    ___

    Associated Press writer Jennifer McDermott contributed.

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    AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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  • Minnesota athletes head into the Winter Olympics with concerns about turmoil

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    ST. PAUL, Minn. — As excitement has built and focus has sharpened in preparation for the Winter Olympics, biathlete and Minnesota native Luci Anderson has been jarred at times by thoughts of home.

    One day last week, while Anderson watched from Italy, her family members marched among thousands of people through downtown Minneapolis in protest of the immigration crackdown that has wracked the city.

    Anderson said she struggles to keep sports in perspective.

    “It’s kind of hard being over here feeling like I’m doing this thing that does not matter,” Anderson, 25, said in a video interview with The Associated Press. “It matters, but in the grand scheme of things it’s like, ‘Wow, my people back home are fighting for people’s rights, and I’m over here just skiing.’ It’s kind of an odd contrast to be trying to chase my dreams but also wanting to support the people that are at home fighting for what’s right.”

    The U.S. Olympic contingent in Italy counts 26 athletes who are native to Minnesota, trailing only Colorado (32) for the most by state. About a dozen others either call Minnesota home now or compete and train there in sports like curling or hockey.

    Many of them are coming to the Winter Games with mixed feelings: excited about competing in the Olympics but anxious about the situation in their home state.

    Alpine ski star Lindsey Vonn, who grew up in Minnesota, said during a news conference Tuesday that her heart is heavy for everyone back home.

    “I think the best thing I can do is to do exactly what I said, stand tall and have hope and show the world what America is, who we are as people, because we are more than what’s happening right now,” she said. “The best thing I can do is represent us well. And it is a privilege to be here. I don’t take that lightly. I always do my best to make our country proud, and I hope I can do that in these Games.”

    President Donald Trump has promised mass deportations of undocumented migrants, sending federal law enforcement officials into cities like Minneapolis as part of the push. It was one of his signature promises for his second term in office. But last month, two fatal shootings by federal officials of U.S. citizens sparked a broad backlash against the crackdown — including in Minnesota itself.

    Lee Stecklein, one of five natives of the state on the women’s hockey team, said she hopes to “represent Minnesota well” at the Games.

    “The world is watching. Not just here. They’ll be watching us at the Olympics, and it’s a good time to shine a light on some of the things going on here,” she said.

    Stecklein spoke after a recent practice in St. Paul with the Minnesota Frost, the Professional Women’s Hockey League team that counts three of the other four Minnesotans on the U.S. Olympic squad: Taylor Heise, Kelly Pannek and Grace Zumwinkle.

    The Frost played a home game the day after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis and emotions in the arena were high.

    “Representing our country, representing our state, we get to do it at a sporting event, but there’s so many people that do it on a daily basis, that do it with grace and humility and selflessness and with love and care for their neighbor,” Pannek said.

    Jessie Diggins, the top-ranked cross-country skier in the world, grew up in the Twin Cities metro area. She recently posted on social media how difficult she has found being so far away during the unrest and how determined she will be to honor the people in her state.

    “I’m racing for an American people who stand for love, for acceptance, for compassion, honesty and respect for others. I do not stand for hate or violence or discrimination,” Diggins said.

    Her cross country teammate, Zak Ketterson, echoed that pride in calling the Twin Cities his home.

    “Despite the recent turmoil and sad events in the city, I know it doesn’t reflect the kindness and love of the people who live here,” Ketterson said on Instagram.

    Biathlete Margie Freed, who’s also from Minneapolis, told AP in a video interview from Italy that she was inspired by people demonstrating against the immigration crackdown at home.

    “Seeing all of the people come together, whether it’s like a little vigil or it’s driving someone where they need to go, it’s really heartwarming and it shows that there’s a lot of love,” Freed said.

    ___

    Bellisle reported from Seattle.

    ___

    AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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  • Speedskater, bobsledder picked as US flagbearers for Winter Olympics

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    Speedskater Erin Jackson already has made history, as the first Black woman to win an individual gold medal at a Winter Olympics. Bobsledder Frank Del Duca is a sergeant in the Army, hailing from a family with deep Italian roots.

    They might be the perfect pair to lead the U.S. into the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

    Jackson, 33, and Del Duca, 34, were selected by a group of their fellow Olympians as the U.S. flagbearers for Friday night’s opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina Games. Jackson will become the eighth U.S. speedskater to carry the flag into an Olympics, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said, while Del Duca will be the first bobsledder to carry the flag into an opening in 70 years.

    “Being chosen to represent the United States on the world stage is a tremendous honor,” Jackson said in a statement Tuesday from the USOPC. “It’s a moment that reflects far more than one individual — it represents my family, my teammates, my hometown, and everyone across the country who believes in the power of sport. The Olympics remind us of the power of sport to connect and inspire, and I’m proud to carry that forward on the Olympic stage.”

    It will be an unusual opening ceremony, given that these are the most spread-out Olympics ever. The main ceremony is in Milan; there will be other ceremonies and athlete parades in the Italian cities of Predazzo, Livigno and Cortina d’Ampezzo.

    And for Del Duca, the top U.S. bobsled pilot in both two- and four-man racing, an already-special Olympic opportunity in his family’s homeland just got even more significant. He said Tuesday that he was surprised by the flagbearer nod.

    “I grew up with a lot of Italian and Italian-American influence in my life,” Del Duca said in an interview with The Associated Press last month. “Three out of my four grandparents were Italian. My name is Frank Joseph Del Duca IV. It’s not the most Italian name, but it’s clearly Italian.

    “I grew up on the food. I grew up in that Italian American culture. So much of my life has been Italian American, which is not the same as Italian, but we’re very proud of our ancestry.”

    U.S. bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor was picked to carry the American flag at the 2022 Beijing Olympics but tested positive for COVID-19 — forcing the postponement of her flag-carrying chance until the closing ceremony of those games. She was replaced at the Beijing opening by speedskater Brittany Bowe, and this time, it’s Jackson’s turn to have that moment.

    Del Duca was fourth in both two- and four-man at last season’s world championships on his home track in Lake Placid, New York. He made his Olympic debut at Beijing four years ago, finishing 13th in both races.

    Now, he wears his country’s colors in the Olympics again. That means the world to any athlete. It’s especially significant to Del Duca as a member of the Army — and even more so, he insists, with these games in his family’s homeland.

    “It means a lot. It really does. It means a lot,” Del Duca said. “It would be cool anywhere, but the fact that it’s in Italy, I think our family is just that much more excited. My grandparents are no longer around, but they always rooted for Italy and the U.S. And they said the perfect day would be the Italians and the Americans tying for gold. So, yes, this is cool. It’s a cool opportunity.”

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    AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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  • Von Allmen hands Crans-Montana 2nd Swiss victory in 2 days in last World Cup race before Olympics

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    CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — World champion Franjo von Allmen dominated the last men’s World Cup downhill before the Olympics on Sunday, giving troubled ski resort Crans-Montana a second Swiss victory of the weekend.

    With the Olympic race coming up in six days, von Allmen won his second downhill of the season and fourth overall after beating Italian veteran and Bormio specialist Dominik Paris by 0.65 seconds.

    “I really like the slope, it’s really easy to ski but not easy to be fast,” von Allmen said. “It gives a lot of confidence and I’ll try to show also my best skiing in Bormio. This was really important for me and I’m going with a good feeling.”

    The Alpine skiing events of the Milan Cortina Games open with the men’s downhill on Saturday on the storied Stelvio course, where the 36-year-old Paris has won a record six downhills between 2012 and 2021.

    Racing in perfect sunny conditions under blue skies, Ryan Cochran-Siegle was 0.70 off the lead in third for the American’s second podium of the Olympic season, after finishing runner-up to World Cup leader Marco Odermatt in Beaver Creek, Colorado, in early December.

    On Sunday, Cochran-Siegle was nine-hundredths faster than fourth-placed Odermatt, whose streak of eight downhills in which he finished first or second came to an end.

    Cochran-Siegle was the only skier in the top 10 not from Switzerland or Italy. Some top contenders from Austria, including 2021 world champion Vincent Kriechmayr, sat out the race to have more time to prepare for the Olympics, where downhill training starts on Wednesday.

    The race was interrupted when Chilean racer Henrik von Appen, a late starter with bin 47, crashed and had to be airlifted off the course. There was no immediate update on his condition.

    Von Allmen also won last year’s World Cup downhill in Crans-Montana, which hosts the 2027 world championships and where he will be the defending champion.

    His victory Sunday came a day after fellow Swiss racer Malorie Blanc won the women’s super-G on an adjacent course in Crans-Montana.

    The race weekend had a chaotic start Friday, when the women’s downhill was called off amid worsening weather conditions. Three of the first six starters had crashed, including Lindsey Vonn, who hurt her left knee and sat out Saturday’s super-G.

    Crans-Montana hosted the events a month after the fatal fire in a bar that killed 40 people and injured 116 on New Year’s Day.

    Usual festivities at World Cup venues, like public bib draws and concerts, were canceled and the course was stripped of advertising banners, which in the finish area were replaced by white and black signs of mourning that read “Our thoughts are with you” in multiple languages.

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    AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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  • Demonstrators in Milan protest ICE unit at Winter Olympics, criticizing ‘creeping fascism’

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    MILAN — Hundreds of demonstrators gathered Saturday in Milan to protest the deployment of ICE agents during the upcoming Winter Olympics, unbothered by the fact that agents would be stationed in a control room and not operating on the streets.

    The protest in Piazza XXV Aprile, a square named for the date of Italy’s liberation from Nazi fascism in 1945, drew people from the left-leaning Democratic Party, the CGIL trade union confederation and the ANPI organizations that protect the memory of Italy’s partisan resistance during World War II, along with many other people.

    Organizers handed out plastic whistles, which participants blew as music blared from a van. The protest was as much against the news that agents from a division of ICE would participate in security for the U.S. delegation as against what many saw as creeping fascism in the United States.

    “No thank you, from Minnesota to the world, at the side of anyone who fights for human rights,’’ read one banner. “Never again means never again for anyone,’’ read another, and “Ice only in Spritz,’’ a reference to a popular aperitif, read yet another.

    News of the deployment of ICE agents has provoked a backlash in Italy. Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala has said they were not welcome. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi has been called to Parliament to testify about the deployment this week.

    Protester Silvana Grassi held a sign that read “Ice = Gestapo.” She said the scenes of ICE agents in Minneapolis shooting and killing protesters and detaining children were deeply upsetting.

    “It makes me want to cry to think of it,’’ Grassi said. “It’s too terrible. How did they elect such a terrible, evil man?’’

    The ICE agents to be deployed to Milan are not from the same unit as the immigration agents cracking down in Minnesota and other U.S. cities.

    Homeland Security Investigations, a ICE unit that focuses on cross-border crimes, frequently sends its officers to overseas events like the Olympics to assist with security. The ICE arm at the forefront of the immigration crackdown in the U.S. is known as Enforcement and Removal Operations, and there is no indication its officers are being sent to Italy.

    “Even if it’s not the same ones, we don’t want them here,’’ Grassi said.

    Paolo Bortoletto, also holding a banner, was aware that the officers would have an investigative and not a street role.

    Still, he said, “We don’t want them in our country. We are a peaceful country. We don’t want fascists. It’s their ideas that bother us.”

    The Olympics begin Feb. 6 with an opening ceremony that will be attended by U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

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  • In the rehearsal tent: Here’s what makes the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics opening ceremony special

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    MILAN — Inside a cavernous tent near Milan’s San Siro stadium, classically trained dancers from La Scala’s academy mimicked Nordic walkers and figure skaters during a rehearsal Saturday for the opening number of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympicsopening ceremony, which will take place on Feb. 6.

    The young dancers are among some 1,200 volunteers who have been rehearsing since November in the tent large enough to mark the actual stage while Italian Serie A soccer wrapped up its final soccer matches before turning the iconic stadium into an Olympic venue.

    Over the next two weeks, rehearsals will amp up to some nine hours a day — all in pursuit of Olympic emotion for what is billed as the most viewed moment of the Games. Some 60,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony live in San Siro, including a U.S. delegation led by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, while millions around the world will watch on official broadcasters.

    “The preparation of the Olympic ceremony is a very complicated journey but also an exhilarating journey, because you get to meet all these volunteers, dance classes, normal people,’’ said Marco Balich, the creative director of the Milan Cortina opening ceremony, who has produced a record 16 Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies.

    Volunteers include Balich’s butcher, the head of his office and an 88-year-old widow.

    “And all of them join in to create something for the nation, for the joy of being part of a huge event like the Olympics,’’ Balich told The Associated Press during a rare behind-the-scenes tour.

    The theme of this year’s opening ceremony is “Harmony,’’ an especially potent message as the world order is shaken and populations from Ukraine to Gaza to Iran are exposed to violence.

    The concept of an Olympic Truce, originating in ancient Greece and revived by Olympic officials in the 1990s, is even more urgent this year, Balich said. The truce aims to promote peace and dialogue through sport by ceasing hostilities for a week before the Olympics and a week after the Paralympics, which close March 15. Getting belligerents to cooperate is another matter.

    “In this moment, where forces and bullies are predominant, I think it’s very important for all of us to embrace the values that the Olympics represents, which is to compete respectfully and peacefully between all the countries and nations, summarized in the title ‘Harmony,’ ’’ Balich said.

    Balich’s ceremony will highlight Italian excellence and creativity, including a nod to Milan’s role as a fashion capital, and eye-openers he won’t reveal to preserve the surprise.

    Some moments of the opening ceremony have been announced: U.S. pop star Mariah Carey, crossover tenor Andrea Bocelli, mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli, Italian singer Laura Pausini and concert pianist Lang Lang will perform.

    Others are prescribed by Olympic protocol. They include the unveiling of the Olympic rings, the parade of athletes and, in the final moment, the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.

    This year there will be two cauldrons, inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s geometric studies: one in Milan, at the Arco della Pace some four kilometers (2½ miles) from San Siro, and the other in Cortina, some five hours and 400 kilometers (250 miles) away.

    Director of ceremonies Maria Laura Iascone promised some “Olympic magic,’’ to transfer the flame over the final legs, given the extraordinary distances involved.

    As the dual cauldron lighting illustrates, the 2026 Games are the most spread out in Olympic history. So that athletes even in far-flung venues near the Swiss and Austrian borders can participate, the Parade of Athletes will be beamed in from three other venues, including Cortina.

    “This event will bring a lot of this magic and images. We keep a balance between the protocol moments that will be, let’s say, serious, very precise, and also moments where emotion will be brought through the participation of key roles and people,’’ Iascone said.

    The rehearsal tent holds not only the mock stage, but also a huge wardrobe room with 1,400 costumes, some in bright broadcast-friendly Technicolor tones, and a corner for seamstresses and tailors to make final adjustments.

    A sign on the door tells the performers who enter: “Your Happy Moment Starts Now! Welcome!”

    Volunteer Fostis Siadimas didn’t need to be told. This is his second opening ceremony as a volunteer performer, after participating in the 2004 Summer Olympics in his native Athens as a 20-year-old. An amateur dancer now living in Milan, he eagerly answered the casting call.

    ‘’The last few moments before entering the stadium, it’s an experience, one of the best of my life, ever,’’ Siadimas said.

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  • Olympic ice dancers Zingas and Kolesnik lead American sweep in rhythm dance at Four Continents

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    Olympic ice dancers Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik led an American sweep of the rhythm portion of the ice dance competition on the opening day of the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships on Thursday in Beijing.

    The recently-crowned U.S. silver medalists, Zingas and Kolesnik scored 79.97 points for their rhythm dance to edge Caroline Parsons and Michael Brown, who scored 78.66 points. Oona Brown and Gage Brown were third with 74.24 points.

    Typically, very few figure skaters heading to the Winter Games will compete at Four Continents in an Olympic year. But Zingas and Kolesnik are trying to take advantage of one last opportunity on an international stage to sort out the details of their two programs before the Milan Cortina Games begin in just under two weeks.

    Green and Parsons are first alternates and the Brown siblings the third alternates for the U.S. Figure Skating team for Italy.

    Two-time reigning U.S. pairs champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov were third after the short program at the National Indoor Stadium, the site of ice hockey games at the Beijing Olympics four years ago. Efimova and Mitrofanov were hoping that she would gain American citizenship in time to compete in Milan, but the Finnish skater’s passport did not come through in time.

    Olympic rules state that athletes must be citizens of the nations they represent in order to compete.

    The Chinese team of Sui Wenjing and Han Cong, who are favored to defend their Olympic pairs gold medal in Milan, led after their short program at Four Continents with 76.02 points. Yuna Nagaoka and Sumitada Moriguchi of Japan were second with 71.95 points, and Efimova and Mitrofanov were right behind with 71.85.

    Ami Nakai, Yuna Aoki and Mone Chiba, all of whom will be representing Japan at the Milan Cortina Games, swept the top three spots after the women’s short program. Nakai scored 73.83 points, Aoki had 71.41 and Chiba had 68.07.

    The powerful Japanese contingent is expected to be the toughest competition — along with Russia’s Adeliia Petrosian — for the strong American team of Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito. None of those three skaters are competing at Four Continents.

    Sarah Everhardt was the top American in fifth place Thursday. Bradie Tennell was seventh and Starr Andrews eighth.

    Four Continents continues Friday with the free dance and the women’s free skate. The men’s short program and pairs free skate are Saturday before the competition concludes Sunday with the men’s free skate.

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    AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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  • Rivals US and Canada could put North American dominance on display at the Olympics in Milan

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    One more goal. That’s how close the U.S. was to beating Canada in the final at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics before losing in overtime.

    One more goal. That’s how close the U.S. was from tying Canada in the semifinals at the 2014 Sochi Olympics before losing 1-0.

    One more goal. That’s how close the U.S. was to beating Canada in the final at the 4 Nations Face-Off a year ago before losing in overtime.

    “Canada won, right?” U.S. center Jack Eichel said. “So, they’re obviously on top.”

    Canada has won every major international men’s hockey tournament featuring a the NHL’s best players over the past 16 years, a run that includes the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. With Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar joining forces for the first time on the same sheet of ice, the nation known as the cradle of the sport goes into the Milan Cortina Olympics next month as the gold medal favorite.

    “It’s always been Canada,” longtime U.S. star Patrick Kane said.

    The U.S. has been closing ground for decades, and the fight-filled 4 Nations put the border rivalry in the spotlight while ramping up expectations that the Games will be another showcase of North American dominance.

    “The men haven’t been able to get over that hump and defeat Canada and win a gold medal, and I think this is their best chance to do it,” said retired U.S. winger T.J. Oshie, whose shootout heroics against host Russia in Sochi is one of the most memorable Olympic moments in history. “This is the best U.S.A. team that I’ve seen. And if they can come together like they did in the 4 Nations, I think that for the first time, I’d say it’s a pretty fair fight going into it.”

    European powerhouses Sweden and Finland, the latter being the defending Olympic champion, will be in the mix, as could the Czechs or Germans. But in a tournament without the Russians, the U.S. and Canada look like the teams to beat. BetMGM Sportsbook set Canada as a 5-4 favorite, ahead of the U.S. at just over 2-1.

    Canada won the 4 Nations on McDavid’s goal in Boston last February and has the deepest, most talented forward group of any of the 12 countries involved. That includes 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini, who was on the couch cheering last February while in awe of the quality of play on display.

    “That was the best hockey I’ve ever watched,” Celebrini said. “Just the pace, the amount of skill, physicality — all of it combined is the best.”

    It could be even faster in Milan, and not only because the rinks are more than 3 feet shorter than NHL-regulation length.

    “That’ll probably make the game a lot tighter, too,” Makar said. “The Olympics will be a completely different kind of thing, almost even more amplified.”

    The U.S. has hopes for its first men’s hockey gold medal at the Olympics since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team. That’s not a pipe dream, as the U.S. National Team Development Program and grassroots growth of the sport has closed the gap on Canada.

    “The talent pool and the level of the players of the Americans now I think is as high as it’s ever been,” Kane said. “That’s kind of how we felt in 2010, 2014, (and it) keeps getting better.”

    The teams split at the 4 Nations, games that U.S. center Jack Hughes described as crazy and just a taste of what he and other players are in for in Milan.

    “Once you see the level of competition at the 4 Nations, you’re so hungry to get back to that and you want to be in the Olympics so bad just because the level of hockey was so high,” said Hughes, who is set to play with older brother Quinn at the Games.

    Oshie grew up in Warroad, Minnesota, a 20-minute drive from the Canadian border. He described the simmering rivalry as hatred: “For a long time, they were just almost too good to get past.”

    Maybe not anymore, particularly given Canada’s seeming vulnerability in goal and the U.S. strength at hockey’s most important position. But there is no guarantee these teams face off in single-elimination play at the Olympics, so USA Hockey general manager Bill Guerin insists he and his staff did not construct a roster just to beat Canada.

    “We built the best team possible,” Guerin said. “We did that with us in mind. We’re worried about us, not anybody else.”

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    AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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