The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan–Cortina are officially underway, with alpine skiing taking centre stage on Day 1 of competition. Following the opening ceremony, attention turns to the men’s downhill — one of the fastest and most dangerous events on the Olympic programme — as medals come into play on Cortina d’Ampezzo’s iconic slope.
Alpine Skiing Event Time
The first alpine skiing medal event of the Games begins with the men’s downhill.
- Event: Men’s Downhill (Alpine Skiing)
- Start time: 5:30 a.m. ET
- Venue: Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy
How to Watch Alpine Skiing Live
Live television and streaming coverage of the alpine skiing downhill is available globally.
- United States (TV): NBC, USA Network, CNBC, NBCSN
- United States (Streaming): Peacock, NBCOlympics.com
- Europe: Eurosport, HBO Max, TNT Sports, BBC Sport (UK)
- Canada: CBC, Bell Media, Rogers Media
Official schedules, live timing and confirmed results are being published in real time via the Olympics’ official coverage platform.
Alpine Skiing Athletes to Watch
The men’s downhill start list features a deep international field, with medal contenders from North America, Europe and beyond.
United States: Bryce Bennett, Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Sam Morse
Canada: Brodie Seger, James Crawford, Jeffrey Read, Cameron Alexander
Switzerland: Marco Odermatt, Alexis Monney, Franjo von Allmen
Austria: Vincent Kriechmayr, Raphael Haaser
France: Mathieu Muzaton, Nils Alphand, Niels Allègre
Italy: Dominik Paris, Giovanni Franzoni, Mattia Casse, Florian Schieder
Other notable starters: Aleksander Aamodt Sejersted (Norway), Miha Hrobat (Slovenia), Simon Jocher (Germany), Elian Lehto (Finland), Barnabas Szollos (Israel), Connor Comerford (Ireland)
Why This Downhill Matters
The Cortina downhill is one of the most technically demanding tracks in alpine skiing, combining extreme speed with sudden terrain changes. Early performances here often shape momentum for the rest of the Games, particularly in speed disciplines where confidence is everything.
As Day 1 unfolds, alpine skiing sets the competitive tone for the 2026 Winter Olympics, with every run offering the potential for Olympic history.
