The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina are right around the corner. Aside from the talk about the skating rink, there is at least confirmation about who will carry the torch.
On Thursday, it was announced that Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, the stars of the television series Heated Rivalry, will be among the torchbearers, per Olympics.com. The show was created by Canadian director and scriptwriter Jacob Tierney. It is about two hockey players who are rivals, but have a mutual respect for one another as they navigate life on and off the ice.
Also, the show features François Arnaud, Robbie G.K., Christina Chang, Dylan Walsh, Sophie Nélisse, and Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova.
During the Olympics, the show will be on HBO Max in Italy. The games are scheduled for February 6-22, 2026, with the opening ceremonies at San Siro Stadium.
Altogether, this Winter Olympics will look radically different than the 2022 games in Beijing. A huge factor was that those games were heavily regulated due to the COVID pandemic.
Plus, this is shaping up to be an Olympics in which hockey will dominate much of the coverage. Canada, USA, Russia, and Sweden are some of the top teams gunning for a gold medal in men's hockey. Also, Canada and the USA are the top women's teams. In 2022, Finland won their first gold medal in men's hockey. Meanwhile, Canada won the gold medal in women's hockey.
As for Italy, they haven't won a medal in Olympic competition. Their highest ranking was seventh at the 1956 games in Cortina.
