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The 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympic Games will (formally) begin today with an Olympic first: an opening ceremony in more than one venue.

More than 1,200 performers will take the stage at the historic San Siro stadium in Milan, but they'll be sharing the spotlight with three ski resorts across northern Italy: Cortina, Livigno and Predazzo. 

Two Olympic cauldrons will be lit at the same moment in Milan and Cortina, which makes tonight's event the first "widespread ceremony" in the history of the Games.

Here's what else to know:

Who's carrying the flag for Canada?: Olympic veterans Mikaël Kingsbury and Marielle Thompson will lead Team Canada tonight.

Who's performing?: Mariah Carey, Andrea Bocelli and Sabrina Impacciatore are all on the list.

We just got a peek at the Canadian women’s hockey team's outfits from veteran forward Natalie Spooner, who’s attending her fourth Olympic Games.

The team has been very active on social media since the players arrived in Milan. My personal favourite? Spooner’s chocolate rankings. Today she reviewed the chocolate lava cake that everyone’s talking about.

We’re less than 30 minutes from the start of the show in the San Siro. 

Music is now playing full blast. Dancers are on stage. The hype hosts are on the stage and just tested the LED wristbands that fans in the stands are wearing — it looks like that will be part of the light show.  They also shouted out the performers who will take the stage soon: Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli. 

The stadium isn't at capacity yet from our vantage point, but many of the sections are getting filled up.  

The ceremony itself begins in half an hour.

This fan decked out in red, white and maple leaf travelled from Ancaster, Ont., to cheer on Team Canada tonight. He said now is the time to be a loud and proud Canadian.  

I’m Kris Reyes, inside the San Siro stadium in Milan, where the gates are now open for the opening ceremony. On the field are hints of what's to come: a winding runway with giant white sculptures, a nod to Milan’s fashion, art and design roots. 

Some spectators are already in their seats. Last-minute deals were given to volunteers in hopes of filling the roughly 75,000 seats available for the show. 

Spotted practising on the ground are Olympic mascots Milo and Tina. The two teenage stoats — a member of the weasel family native to the Italian alps — represent the host cities of Milan and Cortina. 

While I've been standing at the Arco della Pace, tourists and Olympic fans have been streaming through to take pics of the cauldron. 

It was easy to spot Rene Bellavalance in the crowd as he was wearing his Montreal Canadiens hockey jersey. He says he wore it because he was hoping it would stand out and help him connect with other Canadian fans, but he's disappointed that there doesn't seem to be a lot of buzz in the air.

"It's exciting to be here, but I wish the city would be more hyped kind of like Vancouver in 2010," he said. 

"I think it will be better once more events have started and especially tonight after the opening."

Bellavalance says has tickets to watch Italy face off against Sweden in men’s hockey. While he believes Sweden will easily win, he said he wanted to teach them how to cheer "the Habs way."

We do have a little bit more information about the cauldron-lighting now. 

Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni, two of Italy's most successful alpine skiers, have been tipped for the honour of lighting the Olympic cauldrons, but the names of those involved and the format have not been disclosed.

According to the Gazzetta dello Sport, Tomba is tasked with lighting the cauldron at Milan's Arco della Pace near San Siro soccer stadium, while Compagnoni will do the honours at the second cauldron in Piazza Dibona.

I'm Sarah Leavitt, reporting from the beautiful alpine town of Livigno where Canada’s flag-bearers, alongside a contingent of athletes, will take part in the ceremony from the Snow Park.

Heading into the ceremony, alpine snowboarder Ben Heldman said he was so excited to be participating in his first ever Olympics.

"It’s the best thing ever. I’m so proud to wear the Maple Leaf," he said.

The parents of Vernon, B.C., freestyle skier Elena Gaskell will brave the cold and watch the ceremony on the big screens of Livigno's fan zone.

"I am so stoked to be able to cheer her on," said her mother, Holly Gaskell.

"We have all our hometown cheering for her."

Canadian women's hockey team GM says Finland reached out about illness

Gina Kingsbury, general manager of Canada’s women's Olympic hockey team, said Thursday that her team was asked if they were willing to postpone their first game after the Finnish team was hit with a norovirus outbreak. 'Forfeiting was never brought up,’ she said of a conversation with officials, adding that delaying was in the spirit of the Games.

The Finnish women’s hockey team practised this morning in Milan. The team's game against Canada was postponed yesterday after 13 players were either ill with norovirus or quarantined as a precaution. (Norovirus is a super contagious and very unpleasant gastrointestinal illness.)

Finnish general manager Kimmo Oikarinen said nine players are still isolated, but the situation is getting better. He's confident the team will play tomorrow against the United States.

"Forfeit is the last thing we want to do,” he said. “I don’t believe we will go there. I do not see that happening. I strongly believe we will play. The spirits are positive. They are getting ready for tomorrow."

Captain Michelle Karvinen, who plays for the PWHL's Vancouver Goldeneyes, was one of the players isolated yesterday. She was training this morning.

"It was not ideal, but it could have been way worse timing," she said. "In this case, the worst thing that happened was they moved the game."

Canada agreed to postpone its game against Finland to Feb. 12 in the spirit of the Games, Canadian general manager Gina Kingsbury explained yesterday. Here's my story about that decision. Canada will now open its tournament against Switzerland on Saturday at 3:10 p.m. ET.

I am Briar Stewart in Milan, where one of the two cauldrons will be lit simultaneously along with a second cauldron in Cortina.

The design of the cauldron is meant to pay tribute to the sun, inspired by the intricate designs of Leonardo da Vinci. Crew members have been putting the finishing touches on the setup, including painting the grey ramps used by the torchbearers. The crowd down here is quite sparse; security outnumbers spectators. Dozens have gathered, but organizers say they aren’t sure about the turnout given that there's no large screen here for people to actually watch the ceremony.

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