Ireland to walk in three clusters in tonight’s celebration at Milano Cortina ‘26
The Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games officially open tonight, with opening-day celebrations taking place across four clusters in northern Italy. Team Ireland will be represented by four athletes, all competing in snow sports.
While the main Opening Ceremony is staged in Milano, Irish athletes will feature in the mountain clusters. Alpine skier Cormac Comerford and freestyle skier Ben Lynch will parade in Livigno, while Allianz Flagbearers Thomas Maloney Westgård (cross-country skiing) and Anabelle Zurbay (alpine skiing) will represent Ireland in Predazzo and Cortina d’Ampezzo, respectively.
Over the next sixteen days, the Winter Games will bring together a record number of nations, with more than 90 countries and almost 3,000 athletes competing for 110 gold medals across sixteen sports.
RTÉ has confirmed comprehensive coverage of the Games, with almost 40 hours of live competition available on RTÉ Player, including all appearances by the four Irish athletes. A nightly highlights programme will also air from 22:00 to 23:00 throughout the Games.
While attention tonight will be on the pageantry of the Opening Ceremony, competition begins immediately for Team Ireland. Dubliner Cormac Comerford gets Ireland’s Olympic campaign underway tomorrow morning in the men’s downhill at the Stelvio Alpine Skiing Centre in Bormio. The 3,442-metre course is a regular fixture on the World Cup circuit and is regarded as one of the most demanding in alpine skiing, renowned for its steep gradients and technical complexity.
Speaking ahead of his competition, Comerford said,
“I’m looking forward to getting the Games started for Team Ireland, and to officially becoming an Olympian, especially on such an iconic slope.”
RTÉ SCHEDULE
- Friday 6 February: Opening Ceremony – Milano (Irish in the Livigno, Cortina and Predazzo clusters); RTÉ News Channel & RTÉ Player, 6.55pm to 9.30pm
- Saturday 7 February: Cormac Comerford – Downhill (Alpine Skiing), Bormio; RTÉ Player, 11.20am to 12.55pm
- Sunday 8 February: Thomas Maloney Westgård – 10km + 10km Skiathlon (Cross Country), Predazzo; RTÉ Player, 11.20am to 12.55pm
- Wednesday 11 February: Cormac Comerford – Super-G (Alpine Skiing), Bormio; RTÉ Player, 10.20am to 12.45pm
- Friday 13 February: Thomas Maloney Westgård – 10km Free (Cross Country), Predazzo; RTÉ Player, 10.35am to 12.45pm
- Saturday 14 February: Cormac Comerford – Giant Slalom Run 1 & 2 (Alpine Skiing), Bormio; RTÉ Player, 8.50am to 11.05am, 12.20pm to 2.10pm
- Sunday 15 February: Anabelle Zurbay – Giant Slalom Run 1 & 2 (Alpine Skiing), Cortina; RTÉ Player, 8.50am to 11.05am, 12.20pm to 2.10pm
- Monday 16 February: Cormac Comerford – Slalom Run 1 & 2 (Alpine Skiing), Bormio; RTÉ Player, 8.50am to 11.05am, 12.20pm to 2.10pm
- Wednesday 18 February: Anabelle Zurbay – Slalom Run 1 & 2 (Alpine Skiing), Cortina; RTÉ Player, 8.50am to 11.05am, 12.20pm to 2.10pm
- Thursday 19 February: Ben Lynch – Halfpipe Qualification (Freestyle Skiing), Livigno; RTÉ Player, 9.25am to 11.30am
- Friday 20 February: Ben Lynch – Halfpipe Final (Freestyle Skiing), Livigno; RTÉ Player, 9.25am to 11.30am
- Saturday 21 February: Thomas Maloney Westgård – 50km Classic (Cross Country), Predazzo; RTÉ Player, 9.50am to 1pm
- Sunday 22 February: Closing Ceremony – Verona (All athletes); RTÉ Player, 6.45pm to 10pm
Please contact heather@olympicsport.ie for interview requests, and for moving images of training, which will be available over the coming weeks.