Traffic on two of Italy's major railway lines was disrupted on Saturday due to "deliberate acts," the state railway company said, in yet another incident to affect the network since the Winter

Plus, a Ukrainian athlete was barred from competition after refusing to give up his plan to race in a helmet commemorating athletes who have been killed since Russia invaded his country.

• Let the games begin: Italian President Sergio Mattarella declared the 2026 Winter Olympics open. Two cauldrons — one in Milan and one in Cortina — have been lit, marking a first in the Winter Games’ history.

The 2026 Winter Olympics kicked off last week in Milan, with a full slate of events, including alpine skiing, curling, ice hockey, and figure skating. And once again, Martha will be serving as an NBC correspondent at the Olympic Games with her friend Snoop Dogg.

MILAN (AP) — Featuring tributes to da Vinci and Dante, Puccini and Pausini, Armani and Fellini, pasta and vino, and other iconic tastes of Italian culture — plus Mariah Carey hitting all the high notes in “Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu” aka “Volare” — an unprecedented four-site,

United States' Breezy Johnson, right, and fiancee Connor Watkins smile at each other as they are interviewed after he proposed to her at the end of an alpine ski, women's super-G race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. Credit: AP/Jacquelyn Martin

The ancient Verona Olympic Arena will pay tribute to all athletes following the handover ceremony. What to know

Italian biathlete Rebecca Passler has been cleared to compete in the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics after a successful appeal to the Italian Anti-Doping Agency (NADO) following a failed drugs test last month.