Mariah Carey took center stage to help kick off the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony at 100-year-old San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy.

MILAN, Italy -- Hundreds of protesters chanted slogans, blew whistles and set off flares at a rally on Friday to oppose the presence in Italy of U.S. immigration agents and the closure of streets ahead of the Milan Cortina Winter Games' opening ceremony.

• Let the games begin: Italian President Sergio Mattarella declared the 2026 Winter Olympics open. Two cauldrons — one in Milan and one in Cortina — have been lit, marking a first in the Winter Games’ history.

The first medals of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics have been won and while there’s still more medal events to go Saturday, some countries are off to a bigger start than others. Here’s a look at what’s been won so far and where things stand: Swiss racer Franjo von Allmen captured the Olympic downhill to win the first gold medal at the Milan Cortina Games.

The first Olympic medals of the 2026 Games will be awarded on Saturday. Here are the livestream links to watch all of the competition on Day 1 (AP Photo).

Francesca Lollobrigida led a tricolor day for Italy at the Milan Cortina Olympics. The speedskater won gold in the women’s 3,000 meters after Giovanni Franzoni took silver in the men's downhill ahead of Italian teammate Dominik Paris for bronze on the same slope Saturday.