when are the olympics live
The next Olympic Games that are live right now or soon are the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano–Cortina, Italy, which run from 4–22 February 2026, with some events starting two days earlier.
Quick Scoop: When are the Olympics live?
Core dates and time window
- Overall window: 4–22 February 2026 for the Winter Olympics in Milano–Cortina.
- Early start: Some competitions (like curling mixed doubles) begin up to two days before the opening ceremony.
- Time zone: Local times are in Central European Time (CET, UTC+1).
In practice, that means live events run most days from morning into late evening local time, with medal events spread across nearly every day of the Games.
When can you actually watch “live”?
Because you’re in the UK (UTC in winter), here’s how that lines up with CET:
- CET is 1 hour ahead of UK time.
- A 20:40 CET ice hockey match in Italy starts at 19:40 UK time.
- Morning alpine skiing around 11:30–13:50 CET is 10:30–12:50 UK time.
So for you, most live Olympic sessions will feel like:
- Morning to early afternoon: skiing, skating, sliding sports.
- Late afternoon to late evening: big-ticket events like ice hockey medal games, figure skating, and some freestyle/snowboard finals.
Where to find the live schedule right now
If you’re wondering “when are the Olympics live today or tonight?”, the most accurate view is from official broadcasters and the Olympic channel pages, which publish daily live schedules and streaming links.
Key places to check:
- The official Milano–Cortina 2026 schedule pages show a day‑by‑day breakdown of every event and medal session.
- Major Olympic broadcasters (for example, NBC in the US, national Olympic committees, and large sports sites like ESPN) have “live now” and “up next” tickers listing exactly what’s on right this minute.
At-a-glance: live Olympics timing
Here’s a compact view of the Winter Games window (local Italian time):
| Phase | Typical dates (2026) | What’s happening live |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-ceremony events | 2–3 Feb | Early competition such as curling mixed doubles and some round-robin/team events. |
| Opening Ceremony | 4 Feb | Opening Ceremony plus first full day of medal events that weekend. |
| Main competition days | 5–21 Feb | Daily live sessions in alpine skiing, skating, sliding, hockey, figure skating, freestyle, snowboarding, and more, morning to late evening. |
| Finals weekend | 21–22 Feb | Stacked with medal events, including bobsleigh, cross-country, curling and the men’s ice hockey final, then the Closing Ceremony. |
TL;DR
- The Olympics are “live” from roughly 2–22 February 2026, with the official Games window 4–22 February in CET.
- For you, most big events will be live from late morning to late evening UK time during that period.
- For exact “on right now” details, check the official Milano–Cortina 2026 and major broadcaster schedule pages, which update in real time.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.
