Winter Olympics Open as Team USA Stars Take Spotlight

The Winter Olympics have officially opened in Milan and Cortina with a ceremony featuring light, music, and national pride as athletes from around the world marched into the stadium to begin the Games. Early attention is already on Team USA, with several headline athletes drawing focus across snow and ice events.

In Alpine skiing, Lindsey Vonn returns to Olympic competition following an extensive injury rehabilitation process, joined by Mikaela Shiffrin in technical events where races are often decided by razor-thin margins. On the ice, U.S. figure skating contenders include Ilia Malinin, Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn, and ice dance leaders Madison Chock and Evan Bates. Snowboard fans are watching Chloe Kim in the halfpipe and Nick Baumgartner in snowboard cross, while Team USA hockey is led by Hilary Knight, Kendall Coyne Schofield, and rising star Laila Edwards as the race for medals gets underway.