Milan Cortina: charges against demonstrators in Corvetto area. Italia wins three medals

Nothing to do for the women's national hockey team against Sweden at the Olympics in Milan Cortina. At the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, the strong Scandinavians won 6-1 on the second day of group B. It was the first setback for the Azzurri.

Sweden found the way to the goal first through Ida Adolfsson, then Sofie Lundin and then Sara Hjalmarsson, taking a three-goal lead. However, the Italians managed to shake off the lead thanks to a goal by Franziska Stocker, which came after an initiative by Kristin Della Rovere. After the poker signed by Hnna Olsson, in the third period the Scandinavians dilated with a double goal by Thea Johansson. Italia will now return to competition on Monday 9 February against Japan.

Fireworks were exploded on the railway tracks from the overpass at the corner with Via Brembo, the point where the procession against the Olympics passes closest to the Olympic Village. Amid smoke bombs and bangers, the demonstrators displayed two large banners from the flyover with the words 'binary is for train. Go trans athletes'. Several thousand people are taking part in the demonstration organised by the Unsustainable Olympics Committee. Lots of placards for Palestine and against Ice. One poster depicts US President Donald Trump with a toilet in his mouth and the words 'paedophile rapist we don't want your gestapo'.

"It will be a success. On an economic level there will be formidable benefits for the country in the immediate future: there are studies by three universities that indicate values between 5.2 and 5.5 billion euro of added value and about 36,000 new employees'. In an interview with Milano Finanza, the president of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Foundation, Giovanni Malagò, says he is certain of the event's success. 'The edition is a unicum in the history of the Games,' says Malagò, 'and an innovative and courageous model for the sports events to come. It is the Olympics of the territories, based on an approach based on sustainability and the valorisation of existing infrastructures: it makes it possible to optimise resources, reduce environmental impact and offers Italia the opportunity to tell its story through multiple identities and cultures'. The president of the Foundation also focuses on the future: 'There are two Olympics,' he explains, 'The first one runs from 6 to 22 February and from 6 to 15 March (dates of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, ed.). Then begins a second Olympics, linked to the concept of legacy, from the promotion of Olympic values to the redevelopment of the infrastructure, which over the years will be able to host sporting events, concerts, major events'. "Recently - concludes Malagò - data have emerged that declare the arrival of 400,000 more tourists in the city of Milan than the seasonal average".

At the end of the second timed training run of the women's downhill, which was declared finished at number 23 by Elena Curtoni despite the fact that the jury allowed the rest of the entrants to go down the slope shortened by the big bend to the finish line without a chronometric check, the technical staff made official the quartet at the start of the competition that will award the medals (at 11.30 a.m.) at the Milan-Cortina Games on Sunday 8 February. They are Federica Brignone, Nicol Delago, Sofia Goggia and Laura Pirovano. For Brignone this is the second Olympic downhill of her career: in 2018 in PyeongChang she withdrew. Goggia, on the other hand, is on her third experience after gold in PyeongChang 2018 and silver in Beijing 2022, as is Delago who retired in PyeongChang 2018 and was 11th in Beijing 2022, while for Pirovano it is a first.

Olimpiadi Milano Cortina 2026 - Sci alpino - Terza prova ufficiale di discesa libera femminile - Centro sciistico Tofane, Belluno, Italia - 7 febbraio 2026. Federica Brignone (Italia) in azione durante le prove REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

Miro Tabanelli did not make it into the slopestyle final of the Olympic Games in Milan Cortina. The Italian freestyle skier made some mistakes in both heats of the qualifying rounds: his score of 35.36 in the first was improved by 51.93 in the second, but this was not enough to get into the first 12 athletes who go on to the medal race. Tabanelli's Olympics do not end here: he will also compete in the freestyle big air.

Make way for the snow 'Dream Team'. Never before has Italian parallel snowboarding presented itself at the Games as a battleship as in this Olympic edition, with top athletes such as star Maurizio Bormolini (winner of the 2024/25 Crystal Globe), Vittoria's new father, the eternal Roland Fischnaller, who wants to close his circle of glory in style at the age of 45, and the enterprising Aaron March and Mirko Felicetti, who are increasingly competitive. But even among the women there are dreams with Elisa Caffont and Lucia Dalmasso. It is the numbers that speak: in the World Cup, the Italian team is dominating the season, winning six victories in the men's field (three with Fischnaller, one with March, one with Felicetti and one with Bormolini) and a total of 14 podiums among the men and two victories (Caffont and Dalmasso) for a total of five podiums in the women's field. It may be enough to cherish more than one podium hope and break a fast in the men's speciality that has lasted 28 years, since Thomas Prugger's silver medal in Nagano '98.

The Italian protagonists of the 2025/26 World Cup are therefore aiming to consolidate their supremacy with an Olympic success to go down in history. Seventeen podiums with seven successes are a fine dowry with which Italia is approaching the most eagerly awaited snowboard competition. On Sunday, Livigno - in the second discipline that will award the Olympic gold medal after the men's Big Air - could turn all blue and is huddling around its 'fantastic four'. And some are even meditating a 'hat-trick'. Bormolini, who came to success at the age of 30, realised his potential late, but now feels he has gained so much experience that he is not hiding and is aiming for the big target without fear or emotional tension. He has the hunger of someone who has earned the summit by coming later and that is why he now wants to enjoy the 'view'. Livigno is his world (he was born in Tirano but grew up in Valtellina), he has built his career here and does not intend to disappoint his people. And then there is to honour the name of little Vittoria in the best possible way.

The White House published on its X profile an Nbc video of the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics yesterday in San Siro in which the public's booing of US Vice-President JD Vance cannot be heard as he is framed when the team of American athletes parade on stage. This was reported by the Guardian, also pointing out that the American broadcaster - which has the rights to the Winter Games - omitted to comment on what happened.

About a thousand people gathered in Milan's Piazza Medaglie d'Oro, in the Porta Romana district, for the demonstration promoted by the Comitato Insostenibili Olimpiadi against the Milan-Cortina Games. The procession, which has yet to start, brings together different demands in addition to contesting the Games. Pro-Palestine groups and acronyms against the presence of Ice are present. Many demonstrators display cardboard trees, in reference to the felling connected to the construction of the bobsleigh track in Cortina. There are also Palestinian flags and signs with inscriptions against Ice, including 'Ice Out' and 'Ice = SS'. A banner is also displayed: 'From Minneapolis to Milan, out ICE'.

Rai's opposition councillors are ready to take the case of RaiSport director Paolo Petrecca's commentary of the Milan Cortina opening ceremony to the board of directors. Petrecca, among other things, began with 'Good evening from the Olympic Stadium', then mistook Matilda De Angelis for Mariah Carey, confused the president of the IOC with Mattarella's daughter, glossed over the identity of Olympic champions and torchbearers, and never mentioned Ghali during his performance. If the Games have as their motto 'The important thing is to participate', this should not be the case for those who, instead of rewarding merit, with their initiative have caused a stinging defeat for the image of the Public Service and those who work there,' reads the note of the trade union representatives of Viale Mazzini.

"The medals of Franzoni and Paris? We saw a fantastic race, it's a wonderful story. We have started the big one". This was stated by the president of the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation, Giovanni Malagò after the downhill in Bormio. A race that brought the first two medals to the Italian team in Milano Cortina with Franzoni's silver and Paris' bronze: "Yesterday during the ceremony, I told the athletes that now it is their turn, their moment. It is their Olympics. This was the race that opened the competition in so many ways, also and above all in the media. The downhill, the stadium, a legendary track. It was an important moment, because then the team, the whole Italia Team gets excited, the athletes feel more involved. Giovanni and Dominik went in my opinion beyond a simple medal'.

"The serious episodes of sabotage that occurred this morning near the Bologna station and in Pesaro, which caused heavy inconvenience to thousands of travellers, are worrying and echo the acts of terrorism that took place in France a few hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games. The Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini is closely following the development of the situation on which the police are working'. A note issued by the Ministry of Transport expresses it in these terms. 'These actions of unprecedented gravity,' the note continues, 'in no way sully the image of Italia in the world, which the Games will make even more convincing and positive. The Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics, strongly desired by Salvini, represent an achieved goal of extraordinary importance'.

A homemade explosive device has been found near the Bologna station, in Castel Maggiore, where railway cables have been sheared. The bomb squad is also on the scene and is making enquiries, but it appears that the cables were sheared by flames following the fire caused by the homemade device. Although there are no claims at the moment, the hypothesis of sabotage appears to be more and more concrete, as does the anarchist trail, for a gesture carried out to coincide with the start of the Milan-Cortina Games.

Great performance for Maria Gasslitter, who gained the last available pass for the slopestyle final at the Games in Milan Cortina. The athlete of the Italian team qualified with the twelfth score (54.66), obtained in the first run. Swiss Mathilde Gremaud leads the ranking, followed by the representative of the People's Republic of China Ailing Eileen Gu.

Double Italian podium in the downhill in Milan Cortina, the first race of the Games with the Olympic title. Giovanni Franzoni won the silver medal, beating Dominik Paris, bronze. The gold was won by the Swiss Franjo von Allmen with a time of 1'51"61. Franzoni finished 20 hundredths behind the Swiss, Paris 50 hundredths. Off the podium was the race's number one favourite, Swiss Mario Odermatt. Tenth place for Mattia Casse, 15th for Florian Schieder. Once again Italy missed out on winning the gold medal after Zeno Colò's gold medal in Oslo '52. Von Allmen built to victory on the Crescentine, anticipated the line slightly and then took top speed on the St. Peter jump.

"It is surprising because people like it. Well, I mean, now he is in a foreign country. To be fair, he doesn't get booed in this country." So said US President Donald Trump on Air Force One - as reported by the White House YouTube channel - commenting on the protests for Vice President JD Vance at the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Milan Cortina.

There have been three incidents of damage on Italian railway lines to coincide with the start of the Milano Cortina, and investigators carrying out their enquiries do not rule out the possibility of an anarchist act of demonstration on the model of what happened in France in 2024 for the Paris Olympics. The lines affected are the ordinary Bologna-Padova line, where a rudimentary device was found and removed on a switch, the high-speed line on the same route, where electric cables were cut off in a shaft, and the Bologna-Ancona line, in Pesaro, where an electric box caught fire.

Giovanni Franzoni and Dominik Paris are in the podium zone in the downhill in Milan Cortina. In Bormio, with the race in progress, the two Italian sprinters are momentarily in second and third place behind the Swiss Franjo von Allmen in the lead with a time of 1.51:61. Out of the podium the Swiss champion Marco Odermatt, further back (currently 10/0) the other Italian Mattia Casse.

"The Opening Ceremony represented for Warner Bros. Discovery an extraordinary start to the story of Milan Cortina 2026, a moment capable of combining emotion and editorial quality". This was stated by Alessandro Araimo, managing director Warner Bros. Discovery Southern Europe. "Eurosport's coverage on Hbo Max and Discovery+, made accessible to an even wider audience thanks also to our partners Dazn, Tim and Amazon, gave back all the symbolic power of the event through an authoritative and engaging commentary, signed by Luca Gregorio and Massimiliano Ambesi - he added -. The distinctive value of Eurosport's storytelling comes from experts and sportsmen who, on the strength of their direct experience, know how to get to the heart of the events and the competition and interpret every nuance with competence and credibility". "For the Opening Ceremony," he continues, "this vision was also enriched by the presence of an exceptional guest such as director Davide Livermore, who brought an artistic and cultural reading of absolute depth capable of amplifying the narrative dimension of the event. It was the best way to inaugurate our ambitious path that will accompany the public during the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics'.

Hormones, cancer drugs such as letrozole, and even hyaluronic acid are among the substances used by athletes to improve sports performance. Beyond the now famous 'penis gate' linked to ski jumping competitions, the spotlight is on the doping risk at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. But which substances are most commonly used by professionals? LaPresse's LaSalute asked Cristiano Chiamulera of the Italian Society of Pharmacology Sif, dean of the Degree Course in Pharmacy at the University of Verona. But let's first shed some light on the 'penis gate'. According to the German and British press, some athletes are injecting hyaluronic acid into their penis to increase its size and thus enlarge the suit. Objective? To gain aerodynamics and, in this way, a few extra centimetres in flight. After the revelations in the press, the competition judges are said to have decided to introduce predefined suit sizes and microchips to determine whether the extension of the athletes' technical clothing complies with the rules. But, of course, we are only talking here about one of the disciplines of the 2026 Olympics. Let us make a premise. 'Doping substances are taken with the aim of improving physical and psychological performance or facilitating post-race and training recovery. The most widespread,' says Cristiano Chiamulera, 'are male hormones such as steroids, which increase muscle mass and strength. But also bronchodilators normally used in asthma, to improve breathing, erythropoietin, which increases red blood cells by improving tissue oxygenation, psychomotor stimulants, but also anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving drugs that help overcome one's psycho-physical limits of fatigue and pain'. A real pharmacy for playing dirty. But how to intercept them? 'There is a national and international monitoring system of the intake of doping substances coordinated by the World Anti Doping Agency, Wada. The Wada lists include doping substances, but also drugs that athletes with medical conditions must take, provided they are stopped in due time before the sporting event (e.g. when the sportsman takes drugs because he has asthma),' explains the Sif expert. Doping controls can be done 'before or after the competition, or out of competition 'by surprise' during training, by analysing the athlete's urine or blood. Certified laboratories,' assures the pharmacologist, 'are able to analyse hundreds of banned substances, highlighting their presence or abnormal values compared to physiological ones (when the substances taken are the same as endogenous ones, for example male hormones). In the event of confirmation, sanctions ranging from temporary disqualification to lifelong exclusion follow'. But what do athletes risk? 'Unfortunately, the use of doping substances becomes continuous and leads to inevitable chronic metabolic, physiological and psychological adaptation effects. Often the composition of the products is unknown, thus putting the athlete at risk of adverse events and toxicity,' Chiamulera explains. Problems that 'affect both health and, paradoxically, sports performance'. Insidious shortcuts. 'We would like to emphasise that the psycho-physical enhancement 'easily' obtained with substances is not only a problem of sporting ethics and health, but also of an educational and social model, which must be countered with more medical and scientific information and communication,' concludes the expert.

Italia sport played a leading role at the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina Games. On the evening at the San Siro, the Italian volleyball champions were also on show, represented by six athletes: for the women's national team, captain Anna Danesi accompanied by Paola Egonu and Carlotta Cambi; for the men, captain Simone Giannelli, Simone Anzani and Luca Porro. "It was all fantastic and beautiful, something beyond my wildest expectations in life," said Danesi. "When I wake up, looking at all the stories on Instagram and the pictures from last night, I'm thoroughly enjoying it. From the wave of messages and affection I am receiving in these hours, it feels like I am reliving the best moments of my victories. Being present at the opening ceremony of an Olympic Games is certainly a victory for me, because the Olympic spirit is something I have had inside me since I was a child and I only saw it on TV. Then the passing of the torch to Giannelli, who recounts the magical moment he experienced: 'An incredible emotion. Never in my life would I have thought I could experience another moment like that. It was really crazy - the blue player's words -. I am honoured and grateful for the opportunity I was given, I thank those who chose me and all of us volleyball players. Carrying the flame was truly unique'.

The men's downhill race, which will award the first gold medal of the Cortina Games, is underway. On the Stelvio slope, dozens of spectators are reaching the nerve centres and most spectacular spots of the course to follow the race. Fans of the Italian team have taken their places on some of the structures, some sporting a bib with the photo of Giovanni Franzoni while others with that of Dominik Paris depicted with a crown on his head. The start is scheduled for 11.30am. Franzoni will start with bib number 11, followed by Paris. Mattia Casse and Florian Schieder will start with bib numbers 14 and 15 respectively. In all, there are 36 athletes in the race.

Milan, Cortina d'Ampezzo and the venues of the first 'widespread Olympics' woke up under the sign of the Games. Filed the inauguration ceremony - among the ovations for Sergio Mattarella, who arrived by tram with the exceptional driver Valentino Rossi; artists of the calibre of Andrea Bocelli, Laura Pausini and Mariah Carey; the athletes' parade; the lighting of the simultaneous Olympic braziers in Milan and Cortina and, going beyond the stadium, amidst a few too many blunders in the RAI commentary - the sporting world officially moved to the snowy slopes and the Italian ice to celebrate the Winter Olympics in Italia 20 years after the last one in Turin (and 70 years after the other, in Cortina). With 116 medals up for grabs and more than 2,900 athletes from over 90 nations, this edition promises spectacle, competitive drama and moments to be cherished in the collective memory.

These are the Azzurri competing today, Saturday 7 February, at the Milan-Cortina Olympics:

Freestyle - Slopestyle D, Qualification Maria Gasslitter

Martina Ambrosi, Jessica Malsiner, Martina Zanitzer and Annika Sieff: this is the Italian quartet that will attempt the feat today at the jumping stadium in Predazzo. Sieff, who recorded the best tricolour score in the practice sessions, does not want to disappoint in front of her home crowd. "It is really incredible to have the chance to compete at the Olympics twenty minutes from home," said Annika Sieff at the end of the last training session. "A great job has been done with the trampolines and I feel good, I am quite satisfied with my jumps. In short, the Fiammese of the Fiamme Oro appears to be in great shape and determined, as it transpires, 'to amaze'. The favourite for the first step of the podium is Slovenia's Nika Prevc, the absolute World Cup ruler. Also in the medal zone is Austrian Lisa Eder.

The opening ceremony 'had a great national and international response. I honestly felt it was in full Italia style, with Italian messages and a lot of pride. It was what we wanted'. This was underlined by the president of the Milan Cortina Foundation, Giovanni Malagò, arriving in Bormio for the downhill final, the day after the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics. "The glimpse of the Stelvio? Wonderful, wonderful,' was the compliment from a smiling Malagò.

'Snow and sun, everything is there today'. These are the words of Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti, intercepted in Bormio before the downhill of the Milan Cortina Olympics. When those present ask the minister for a prediction on the race, Giorgetti crosses his fingers. No answer, clear hope.

An all-Italian surprise at the Opening Ceremony of Milano Cortina: there is a Sergio Mattarella 'actor' for an evening that officially brings the Olympics back to Italia 20 years after the Turin Olympics. The original presidential cameo was, however, spoiled a few hours before the kick-off, detracting a little from the effect without affecting the taste too much. Because it is certainly not common to see the Chief of State, in front of the two billion TV viewers around the world, with a scenic gimmick, landing at San Siro on the historic means of transport of the Lombard capital, the yellow tram, no. 26, a tribute to the Olympic year, after a journey as a simple citizen, among ordinary travelling companions, orchestral musicians from La Scala and athletes on skis: the identity remains hidden, then a soft toy on the ground picked up by the President himself reveals it to the public

The exceptional driver in a tram driver's outfit is an excellent Italian, the 'Mago' driving Valentino Rossi. And there is applause and stadium cheering, because the first widespread Games pay homage to the country: and if the beating heart beats in Milan, in Cortina, Livigno and Predazzo there is the whole Alpine arc that opens up to the world and reveals beauty and heritage. Ancient and modern history, cuisine, fashion: there is no Italian sphere that the great kermesse of Marco Balich does not touch and celebrate. And before Mattarella, from fiction to reality, goes to sit in the authorities' gallery with the president of the IOC, Kirsty Coventry, with the stadium turning tricolour for the tribute to the Italian flag and then to Giorgio Armani, the first scenes of the ceremony are a tribute to beauty (by Antonio Canova) and to Harmony, the show's leitmotif.

After declaring the Milan Cortina Games open, President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella will continue his commitment and will be in Cortina on Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 February to attend some of the competitions of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. The Head of State on Thursday will also go to the Olympic Village where, welcomed by Coni President Luciano Buonfiglioand General Secretary Carlo Mornati, he will have lunch with the Italian athletes. At the end, before ending his stay in the Ampezzo municipality, Mattarella will visit Casa Italia.