Stars from the North American National Hockey League will play in the Winter Olympics, the head of the International Ice Hockey Federation said on Sunday, as Milan-Cortina organisers and the International Olympic Committee gave the thumbs up to the Games' main competition rink.

A new ice hockey arena set to stage top matches at the Winter Olympics received a positive review after test games over the weekend and is due to host the return of North America's NHL stars to the Games after 12 years,

Crossover tenor Andrea Bocelli will be among the headline performers for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Feb. 6, joining the previously announced pop diva Mariah Carey, organizers announced on Sunday (Jan. 11).

The 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina are set to begin on Feb. 6, and will run until Feb. 22. The Winter Paralympic Games will then begin on March 6 and will run until March 15. Italy will be hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics for the third time, with Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo as the official hosts of the event.

Vonn, 41, solidified her place as the downhill favorite at next month's Olympics, winning the 84th World Cup race of her career.

Oklahoma County residents will have a chance to buy tickets early to the LA 2028 Olympic Games, in an exclusive local-only presale starting in just a few months. The presale, which some events start as low as $28, will open to residents in the counties surrounding both Oklahoma venues and the hosting California counties.

With less than one month until the Winter Olympic Games begin in Milan, construction delays around its ice hockey arenas have raised concerns about whether they’ll be ready in time for the games. CNN’s Antonia Mortensen reports.

There you have it, eight Colorado Avalanche will depart for Italy and hope to win gold on Sunday, February 22nd. It’s quite an honor as the last time NHL players attended the Olympics the Avalanche sent Matt Duchene, Gabe Landeskog, Paul Stastny and Semyon Varlamov to the festivities.