The last thing veteran Thair Airways pilot Piyapong Wongpiyakaul expected to be doing at 46 years of age was racing to be in the Winter Olympics.

Upon the 20th anniversary of his second, and last, Olympics, College of Engineering associate professor Prawat Nagvajara, PhD, is still modest about his accomplishments as a cross-country skier and historic team of one.

Karen and Mark Chanloung grew up in the Italian Alps where winter sports are a way of life and children are on skis almost as soon as they can stand.

The Winter Olympics promise plenty of high adrenaline, fierce competition, historic firsts and emotional moments over 2 1/2 weeks. Here are some of the names and narratives to keep an eye on.

The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics' sports programme began on Wednesday with the curling mixed doubles, which started two days before the opening ceremony in Milan. Four matches will be held at the Cortina Olympic Stadium in Cortina d'Ampezzo on Wednesday in the first sporting event at the 2026 Games which officially run between February 6-22.

Live stream all the action from Milano Cortina without spending anything.