The 2026 Winter Olympics are taking place this February 6, in Milano Cortina, Italy. Whether you’re an avid sports fan or are looking for some inspiring athletes to follow over the coming weeks (or something to get your mind off midterms post-reading week), read on to learn more about tuning in for this year’s events and how some UW students are feeling about the games.
When are the Olympics on until — and how can I watch?
The Winter Olympics are on from Feb. 6-22, with the Paralympic Winter Games taking place from Mar. 6-15.
If you’re interested in watching the opening ceremony kick off the games, CBC will be providing live coverage this Friday, Feb. 6 at 1:30 p.m.
Ready to plan ahead? If there are specific events you don’t want to miss watching live, be sure to check out CBC’s event streaming schedule, where you can find event start times and watch your favourite sports online and in real-time.
What sports and events can I watch?
There’s a wide assortment of winter sports you can tune in for, with a total of 16 sports taking place. Figure skating, hockey, bobsleigh, alpine skiing, short track speed skating, ski jumping, and snowboarding are all some of the sports you watch athletes compete in.
Ski mountaineering (skimo) is the only sport making its Olympic debut this year. So, what’s skimo all about? During skimo, athletes can alternate between skis and racing on foot along a course. There will be a men’s, women’s and mixed-gender relay for this event.
Who are some Canadian athletes to watch out for?
There are several athletes being highlighted as standouts during these games. Some Canadians to watch out for include, Will Dandjinou (speed skating), Ivanie Blondin (speed skating), Connor McDavid (hockey), Mark McMorris (snowboarding), and ice dance duo Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (figure skating).
Warriors weigh in — how are students feeling about the games?
So, how are some students at UW feeling about the upcoming games? Liam McCracken, a third year computer engineering student, is looking forward to watching hockey during this year’s games, “especially considering they’re allowing NHL players back for the first time in over a decade.” He added, “with the stuff going on [in] the states right now, it feels so much more patriotic to root for Team Canada.”
Asked if he believes the games remain popular among today’s young people, McCracken shared that it remains a popular topic among his friend groups and that he does hear talk of the Olympics on social media sites he uses, such as TikTok and Instagram.
Marcus Tunkl, a fourth year nanotechnology engineering student, hasn’t kept up with Olympic coverage. He remarked, “I haven’t watched the Olympics since the winter of 2012.” Outside of Drag Racing Events and Esports such as CounterStrike, Tunkl admits he’s “not a big sports guy, so the Olympics have never caught my attention.”
Adding on to this, he expressed that his disinterest, “may be due to the fact that I don’t play – and have never really played – any of the Olympic sports myself, so it’s harder to appreciate watching the world’s best.”
However, when discussing whether he believes the games remain popular among students today, Tunkl was confident that the Olympics “are still popular amongst my inner circle and beyond- many still tune in and enjoy watching their favourite teams/countries.”
He concluded, “I doubt this will ever change.”
Interested in cheering on Team Canada with your fellow Warriors? If you’re an avid fan of figure skating, be sure to sign up for the UW Figure Skating Club’s Olympic Watch Party. The club will be hosting a watch party on Sunday, Feb. 8th from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m.
At the watch party, you’ll be watching the Team Pairs Free Skate from 1:30-2:45 p.m. and the Team Women’s Free Skate from 2:45-3:55 p.m. This event is open to all, including students who are not members of the Figure Skating Club.
Pizza will be provided at the event, however, all interested in attending are asked to complete a Google Form indicating their interest. A fee of $2.00 may be applied if you are not a club member to help cover food costs.
