CBC’s live coverage of Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 will kick off on Friday, Feb. 6 with the Opening Ceremony beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET (10:30 a.m. PT) on CBC, CBC Gem, CBC News Network, Sportsnet and TSN.
Starting with the countdown to the Opening Ceremony, hosted by Andi Petrillo, she’ll be joined in-studio by JUNO and Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Alessia Cara, whose Italian roots trace back to Calabria. The pre-show will conclude with the world premiere of The Gold Within: Family & Fire, a short film featuring Cara and professional figure skater Elladj Baldé.
At 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT), CBC News Chief Correspondent Adrienne Arsenault and Olympics reporter Devin Heroux guide audiences through the Opening Ceremony from San Siro Stadium. The ceremony promises to pay tribute to Leonardo da Vinci and the great inventors, Italian design, taste and music. Performers will include Italian actress Matilda De Angelis, American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, Italian artist Laura Pausini, and world-renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli.
Following the main event, a live reaction show hosted by CBC Olympics digital host Mackenzie Barwell will be available on the CBC Sports YouTube channel, breaking down athlete arrivals, performances and more. A primetime encore of the Opening Ceremony will be broadcast on CBC and CBC Gem at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT).
Coverage of Team Canada kicks off Thursday, Feb. 5 on CBC and CBC Gem with mixed doubles curling, as Canada takes on Italy, starting at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT). Then, at 3:10 p.m. ET (12:10 p.m. PT) defending Olympic champions, the Canadian women’s hockey team, faces off against Finland in their first game of the tournament.
Live commentary for key events will be available on CBC Gem in four Indigenous languages: Atikamekw, Cree, Innu and Inuktitut, with select sports called in Atikamekw by Alexandre Nequado, Thérèse Ottawa and Anthony Dubé; in Innu by Joyce Dominique and Alexandre Aster; and in Cree by Cole Bosum and Dorothy Stewart. David Ningeongan and Pujjuut Kusugak return to provide commentary in Inuktitut for women’s and men’s hockey.
CBC’s coverage will feature closed captioning, described video and ASL integrations, with all of its daytime and primetime broadcast coverage available in described video, while all live streams on CBC Gem will be offered with closed captioning. The CBC Sports YouTube channel will provide daily hosted segments with ASL translation throughout the Games.
