The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics ran from February 6 to 22, with competition beginning February 4. The Games’ biggest figure-skating surprise came when Ilia Malinin—the U.S. skater known as the “Quad God”—helped win the team event but fell twice in the men’s singles free skate and finished off the podium. Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov took gold. Snoop Dogg, meanwhile, was in Italy as an NBCUniversal contributor, not as an athlete.
When and where were the 2026 Winter Olympics?
The Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games took place in Italy from February 6 through February 22, 2026. Competition started on February 4, before the Opening Ceremony on February 6; the Closing Ceremony was held on the final day. The Olympics’ event page gives the official dates, while NBC’s guide notes the earlier start to competition.
The Games featured 116 medal events across eight Olympic sports and 16 disciplines. Ski mountaineering made its Olympic debut. Italy won 30 medals—10 gold, six silver and 14 bronze—its highest Winter Olympic total, according to the Associated Press’s closing-day report.
What happened to the “Quad God” Ilia Malinin?
Malinin entered the men’s singles competition with a reputation built on his quadruple jumps, but he did not win the individual Olympic title. After helping the United States win the figure skating team event, he fell twice in the men’s free skate and finished outside the medal places. Shaidorov of Kazakhstan won gold. The Associated Press reported the result and quoted Malinin saying, “Honestly, I still haven’t been able to process what just happened.”
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That contrast is central to understanding his Games: the team-event success and the men’s singles result were separate competitions. His nickname refers to his association with quadruple jumps; it does not mean he won the men’s singles event.
Why was Snoop Dogg at the Winter Olympics?
Snoop Dogg joined NBCUniversal’s coverage as a celebrity contributor. The company announced his return to Olympic coverage on September 28, 2025, following his appearance in NBC’s Paris 2024 coverage. For Milano Cortina, NBCUniversal said he would attend competitions, explore northern Italy and appear in primetime coverage alongside host Mike Tirico. Its announcement described him as a “Global Megastar.” He was a broadcaster and on-site personality, not a competitor.
What were the Olympic figure-skating events?
Figure skating awarded medals in five events. NBC’s event guide describes their formats as follows:
| Event | What skaters do |
|---|---|
| Men’s singles | Individual men perform a short program and a free skate. |
| Women’s singles | Individual women perform a short program and a free skate. |
| Pairs | Two skaters perform together, including elements such as lifts and throw jumps. |
| Ice dance | Two skaters perform together, with emphasis on rhythm, musical interpretation and footwork. |
| Team event | National teams collect results across the individual disciplines’ segments, including short programs or rhythm dance and free skates or free dance. |
In the team event, teams accumulated points from those segments, and the top five advanced from the initial segments. The team competition therefore tested a country across several disciplines rather than deciding the individual men’s or women’s titles.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsHow was Olympic figure skating scored?
NBC’s guide describes scoring under the International Judging System as a combination of technical and program-component marks. A segment’s technical element score reflects the base values of performed elements and judges’ grades of execution. Program component marks assess performance and artistry. A skater’s short-program and free-skate scores are combined to produce the result for a singles or pairs event; ice dance likewise combines its required segments. Specific element values and scoring rules can change, so this overview is not a substitute for the applicable International Skating Union rules for a particular season.
Where was figure skating held?
Figure skating and short track took place at the Milano Ice Skating Arena in Assago, in the Milan area, according to NBC’s figure-skating guide.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How could U.S. viewers watch the Games?
For the 2026 event, NBC’s U.S. coverage guide listed NBC, USA Network and CNBC as television outlets, and Peacock and NBC digital platforms for streaming. It said streams were available through subscriptions or authenticated cable access. Those were options for the Games’ live coverage in 2026, not a statement about what is currently available. The sources cited here do not establish present-day replay access or current subscription terms.
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