The Texas-born ice skater won gold as a member of Team USA

Olympic fans came to Cortina with heavy winter coats and gloves. Their coats were unzipped Sunday and their gloves were pocketed.

The 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics are making history for having more LGBTQ+ athletes competing than at any Winter Games before ( we’re up to 47 and counting! ), but it’s not just the Olympians who are gay, it’s the Games themselves.

MILAN -- The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 men’s hockey tournament begins Wednesday when the 12 nations compete in three groups. Group A consists of Canada, Czechia, France and Switzerland. Finland, Italy, Sweden and Slovakia will play in Group B. Group C features Denmark, Germany, Latvia and the United States.

Ice hockey, curling, influencers—the 2026 Winter Olympics promise to be the most talked about Games in recent memory. WIRED has all the news you need coming out of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.

The Winter Olympics promise plenty of high adrenaline, fierce competition, historic firsts and emotional moments over 2 1/2 weeks. Here are some of the names and narratives to keep an eye on.