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The Milan Cortina Olympics will start with a four-site and two-cauldron opening ceremony
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United States' Erin Jackson warms up during a speedskating training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. - photo by AP Photo/Lee Jin-man
MILAN (AP) — An unprecedented four-site, dual-cauldron Winter Olympics opening ceremony replete with references to Italian icons and culture — plus American pop diva Mariah Carey — was scheduled to officially start the Milan Cortina Games on Friday as the sports spectacle returns to a nation that last hosted the event 20 years ago. This is the most spread-out Olympics — Summer or Winter — in history, with competition venues dotting an area of about 8,500 square miles (more than 22,000 square kilometers), roughly the size of the entire state of New Jersey. The main hub Friday is in Milan at San Siro soccer stadium, which is home to Serie A titans AC Milan and Inter Milan, opened a century ago and is due to be razed and replaced in the next few years.