Feb 19, 2026
3 min read
Summary of all news and events about the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
Winter Olympics in Italy
2026 Olympics: Alcohol appears on TV: Reporter says 'sorry' - News and Ticker Live
- Updated: 19/02/2026
- 08:41
All news and events related to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.From February 6 to February 22, he will fight for medals in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.All information about the Olympics is here.
Hier findet ihr alle News und aktuelle Geschehnisse rund um die Olympischen Winterspiele 2026 in Italien.
From February 6 to 22, 2026, the Olympic stars will compete for medals in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.
The race takes place in several traditional winter sports resorts and offers a spectacular view between the Alps, the Dolomites and the capitals of Italy.
A ticket provides the most important information about the Olympic Games.
- +++ Feb 19, 8:33am: Exposure to alcohol on TV: Reporter says "Sorry" +++
- +++ February 18, 1:33 PM: Straws from Norway as an eye-catcher +++
- +++ February 18 at 10:55: Russia-led Ukraine at opening ceremony +++
- +++ February 18, 8:23: The history of DSV is threatened with a negative balance +++
- +++ February 17, 9:23 pm: Rodlerin reports "hundreds" of dating requests daily +++
+++ February 19, at 8:33: Alcohol appeared on TV: the reporter says "Sorry" +++
Altitude, cold, a missed dinner and a bit of booze: Australian television journalist Danica Mason has publicly apologized after failing to appear live at the Winter Games.A journalist from Channel Nine, a well-known television station in Australia, joined the studio during a game broadcast from the Italian Alps and said bullshit.
Mason rambled on Wednesday about everything from coffee prices in Italy to iguanas in the United States, clearly confusing his studio colleagues.One of them tried to explain it by saying that it is difficult for him in a cold climate."I would like to sincerely apologize," Mason said at the end of his report Thursday.
Mason thanked everyone "who came. I was a little embarrassed. I made a mistake in the situation. I should not have drunk alcohol, especially under these conditions - it was cold, we were at a height, and the dinner did not improve. But I want to take full responsibility.
Studio director Karl Stefanovic, also an Australian celebrity, replied: "Don't worry. Let's change the subject. You're a legend."Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday that he was behind Danica, according to the BBC.
+++ February 18, 1:33 PM: Norwegian bottles are exciting +++
Norwegian curlers are a real eye-catcher at the Olympics because they competed against Sweden (4:7) in colorful pants with a diamond pattern in the national color.
But the context is sad, because the Norwegians remember their former captain Thomas Ulsrud, who died of cancer in 2022 at the age of 50.
Ulsrud and his team won a silver medal wearing these pants at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.King Harald V also received symbolic trousers.“We thought it would be nice to honor our old team and play on the ice in Norwegian attire,” said Magnus Ramsofjell, Norway’s current captain.
Ulsrud was an amazing person, an amazing curler "and he had a great passion for curling. His energy was just great."The promotion is limited to one game only.
+++ 18. February 10:55: Russia leads Ukraine in the opening ceremony +++
Explosive "exit" at the Winter Olympics: A Russian woman leads the team from Ukraine at the opening ceremony.Anastasia Kutcherova wore a country name tag to protest against Russia's war of aggression.
Architect is only now making them public."If you walk with these people, you know they have a human right to feel hatred for every Russian," he told The Associated Press.
Kutscherova has lived in Milan for 14 years. She wants to remind us that the violent struggle continues.
Now he is very worried about his relatives: "I cannot guarantee that my opposition will not hurt everyone I know. But in my opinion, if (...) I am afraid, it means that the government has won."
+++ February 18, 8:23 a.m.: DSV threatened with historic negative balance sheet +++
Emma Eicher hit two, Philip Raimund once in the straight, and then the mixed biathlon relay - but otherwise?With only four medals so far (one gold, two silver, one bronze), the German Ski Association is threatened with a historically negative result at the Winter Games in Milan and Cortina.
Numerically, the lowest performance since reunification occurred in 1992, when a total of eight medals were won in 33 events in biathlon (six), cross-country skiing (ten), combined length (two), alpine skiing (ten), freestyle skiing (two) and skiing (three): seven in biathlon and one in alpine.34 years later, there have been 57 incidents in these six games (11/12/3/10/15/6).
After a low point in 1992, DSV's profitability at the Winter Games has always been in double digits.In 1994 it was 13 medals in 35 events, and in 1998 exactly the same result.
Four years later, there were 18 medals in 42 decisions, in 2010 there were 15 in 44. In 2014, there were a total of 11 medals in 50 competitions, in 2018 there were 51. Four years ago in Beijing, German athletes on skis again won 11 medals in 55 competitions.
In Milan and Cortina, there aren't many options to improve your performance.In the two winter races, Franziska Preuß was expected to do well in the women's category, in cross-country skiing and in the mixed team for the long distance team.
Also interesting: 2026 Olympic Hockey – Germany’s possible opponents: This is what the tournament tree looks like
+++ 17 February at21:23: Rodlerin reports "hundreds" of daily dating requests +++
Luger Sophia Kirkby caused a sensation before the Olympics when she announced that she would be the "most desirable bachelorette" of the Winter Games.Eleven days after the Olympics began, he confirmed this theory.
"I receive hundreds of inquiries every day. It's about 15 to 30 per hour. I don't even know the exact numbers anymore. It's crazy, man," she explained to Bild.
It is not always possible to keep track of things."It depends on the day and whether I have time to look at it," said the American.
"With some messages, you can tell what it's about from the first sentence the other person writes. Others just say 'Hello' or 'Ciao.' They just didn't try hard enough. If I see a longer message, I'm more likely to read it. If it's cute, I'll even reply."
She even went on a date with a fan."I accepted his request and one thing led to another. He wrote a good first message. So I thought I'd give him a chance."
"It was great, there were even two dates. In the morning we went to the spa and later he took me to a Michelin star restaurant. It was the best Valentine's Day I've ever had."
His announcement paid off in other ways as well.“Two weeks before the Games I had 3,000 followers, now I have 43,000,” he explained.I am very proud to be one of the athletes who has a huge following and I hope to be one of the faces that will make bobsledding even more popular in the future.”
Sportingly, Kirkby finished fifth in the women's double and sprint, which she was "very happy" with.
Also interesting: Olympic Games 2026 - Biathlete Rebecca Pasler: Happy ending after doping scandal?
+++ February 17, 5:15 pm: Jutta Leerdam and Jordan Stolz confirm training together +++
Utah Leerdam and Jordan Stoltz are speed skating superstars.Leerdam, who is engaged to American boxer and YouTuber Jake Paul, won an Olympic-record gold in the 1,000 meters and silver in the 500 meters.Stoltz won gold in both events and set an Olympic record in each.
Now they work together – at least when it comes to training.The rumor that was spread between these two great athletes has now become a reality."The fact that I train with Jordan Stolz – it was not an issue," said the Dutch woman."And then we thought: Maybe we should just do this. So we train together."
According to the Associated Press, Leerdom and Stolz met by chance in the field of athletes and soon talked about the rumor, which soon led to a plan to train the athletes.
"He's great on the ice. When you're behind someone, you understand their timing - that always helps."The 27-year-old added: "It was a few rounds, but it worked well."
+++ February 17, 2:15 p.m.: Comments about Israeli bobsledder lead to Olympic scandal +++
The TV commentary about the Israeli bobsledder Adam Edelman caused a great stir at the Olympic Games.
During the live broadcast, a Swiss reporter accused the athlete of supporting the "murder in Gaza".
The RTS broadcaster removed the recording from the media library and admitted that the political assessment was "inappropriate in the context of sports commentary".
+++ February 17, 1:48 PM: Canada: "The spirit of curling is dead" +++
Accusations of cheating in the run-up to the Olympics have clearly left a deep scar among Canadian curlers."The spirit of curling is dead," said Mark Kennedy.
Kennedy yelled "Shit!"on his opponent Oskar Eriksson during last Friday's match against Olympic champion Sweden.Sweden's Eriksson accused Canada of double tapping and breaking the rules.Since then, the term "boop gate" has been used, based on the English word for nudging or tapping.
The incident still upset Kennedy for days.He said it was "difficult" for him to talk about "gentleman's sport".Instead, "medal greed" persists, leading to false accusations."It's just garbage. It's unfortunate."
But the case has long since spread.The Canadian women were punished for the same violation at the games in Cortina d'Ampesso.The Swedes argue that Canada has a long history of systematically bending the rules.This, in turn, brought top Canadian curler Michael Fournier on stage.He shouted at Eriksson in a column on trade website The Curling News: "Shame on you!"
The Swedes and the German team proved on Monday that there is another way.When mopper Johannes Scheuerl got stuck on two Swedish stones at the end of the duel, both teams agreed with a smile to correct the position of the stones that had moved slightly."Curling is a gentleman's sport," Scheuerl said afterward.
+++ February 17, 11:42 AM: Postponement due to snow chaos +++
Snowfall causes chaos at the Xogos Winter Olympics.
The women's snowboard slopestyle final in Livigno scheduled for 13:00 on Tuesday morning has been canceled, meaning Germany's Annika Morgan (24) will have to postpone her next Olympic appearance for the time being.
The air race with Emma Weiss (26), scheduled for 10.45am, was postponed three times.The new start date is scheduled for 12 o'clock. first of all
+++ February 17, 11:30: The economic effect of the Olympics is huge +++
Milan will certainly benefit greatly from the Winter Olympics.
According to a study by the Assolombarda business association, in 2026 the metropolitan area's gross domestic product will grow by 1.7%, after 0.7% the previous year.The Olympic Games alone are expected to produce an economic return of around 2.5 billion euros in the region and generate more than a billion euros in added value.
The mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, described the big event as a "strong catalyst" with long-lasting effects.The city invests 735 million euros in sports, almost half of which goes to modern projects and infrastructure.Critics, on the other hand, fear the rising cost of living and the renewal of real estate.
+++ February 17, 9:30 a.m.: US President Donald Trump is apparently planning to visit the Olympics +++
The President of the United States, Donald Trump is not going to the Super Bowl this year, but it is clear that he will visit the Winter Olympics.
According to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, the main goal of the sports fan is to attend the ice hockey final if the US team advances. Then Trump can go directly to the graduation ceremony.
The background of the visit seems to be that the next Summer Olympics will be held in Los Angeles in 2028 and the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2034.
Italian authorities have been on high alert for the president's visit.Several meetings are planned for Tuesday to arrange the trip.Vice President JD Vance attended the opening ceremony and had 300 bodyguards with him.14 planes are needed for this.
With Trump, HR could be even bigger.
Also interesting: Hockey in the 2026 Olympics: Leon Draisaitl meets the opponents
+++ February 16, 20:04: The German medalist has to leave the Olympic village +++
Up close and personal with a medal winner?Olympic spectators can do it in Cortina d'Ampezzo - if their vacation spot is big enough.After winning two silver medals, Skeletoni Axel Jungk has to look for a new place to live, so he immediately made an appeal in a TV interview.
"It's a shame, we have to leave the village immediately tomorrow morning because there probably aren't enough places," Jungk reported on ZDF on Monday - and added with a smile: "So if anyone here is looking at who's in Cortina and has room for a few athletes: we'd be happy, get in touch!"
Although the medal ceremony was held until 6.30 in the new accommodation, Jungk said he did not need much sleep.
Jungkook won silver in the mixed team on Sunday with Suzanne Krier, and Christopher Grothier, who later announced his retirement, and Jacqueline Pfeiffer also won bronze.
German skeleton athletes won a total of six medals in three races in the smallest sled sport.Krehr and Jungk won the individual silver medal, Pfeiffer and Grother won the bronze medal.
Interesting: Olympics 2026: These are the German medals.
+++ February 16, 3:30 p.m.: Swiss Maillard wins gold in slalom +++
Loic Meillard wins another Alpine gold for Switzerland!With a strong second run, the Swiss won and highlighted their dominance in the men's competition.In the fifth race, they celebrated their fourth gold medal.Bronze was won by Henrik Kristofferson (+1.13) from Norway.
