Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics officially underway

At the end of the ceremony, the Olympic cauldrons were lit in Milan by alpine skiing legends Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni, and in Cortina by downhill star Sofia Goggia.

For this edition, France – with a record delegation of 162 athletes – aims for a top-5 worldwide ranking thanks to its strengths in biathlon, alpine skiing, snowboarding and figure skating.

Among the 92 nations represented, Benin makes its Winter Games debut with alpine skier Nathan Tchibozo, as does Guinea-Bissau via 19-year-old Winston Tang in slalom.

The first medal of these Games will be awarded in the men’s downhill on the iconic Stelvio course in Bormio, with Marco Odermatt the clear favourite and the Frenchmen Allègre, Alphand, Elezi Cannaferina and Muzaton considered outsiders.

Also on the programme for the opening day: ski jumping, speed skating, cross-country skiing (women's skiathlon with French athletes Perry, Pierrel, Pagnier and Claudel), snowboard, slopestyle (with French athletes Dumont, Zanella, Roche and Sivignon), speed skating (Violette Braun for France over 3,000m) and figure skating team event (Kévin Aymoz in men's short program).

In Ligue 1, Lille still struggles: 0-0 draw at Metz after four straight league losses. LOSC shares the worst 2026 record among Europe's top-5 leagues with Auxerre and Espanyol Barcelona (1 point in 5 games). This Saturday, Lens face a struggling Rennes, Brest host Lorient in a Brittany derby and Lyon travel to Nantes.