By Aadi Nair CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Estonia's Marie Kaldvee and Harri Lill made history on Thursday by recording their country's first-ever Olympic curling victory, but the pioneering pair are already hungry for more success at the Milano Cortina Games.

The official Opening Ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games isn't until Friday afternoon, but several of the tournament's most popular sports have already begun. There simply isn't enough time to fit everything into the official three-week period,

Americans who top the podium at the Milan Cortina Games will be in line for a $37,500 bonus. Their competitors could collect as much as $800,000.

While the opening ceremony isn't until Friday, the first event of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics takes place today. Curling kicked off the competitive action with four mixed doubles matches, while there were training runs for the alpine skiers and training in the men's luge this evening.

Women's ice hockey got underway at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Thursday, as did curling and men's Alpine downhill training. Here are the results.

From medals to mascots, schedules to slopes—here’s everything you need to know to be ready for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.