By Lisa Richwine and Giulia Segreti LIVIGNO, Italy, Feb 5 - China's Eileen Gu, a double Olympic champion in freestyle skiing, heads back to the slopes from Saturday at the Milano Cortina Games as a top contender in a field expected to showcase some of the most advanced tricks in the sport.

Ski mountaineering will make its Olympic debut this year, the first winter sport to do so since 2002. Skeleton, luge, ski jumping and moguls are also getting new events.

The 2026 Winter Olympics are officially underway. Even though the Opening Ceremony won't be held until Friday evening in Milan, events began on Wednesday, including round-robin curling and Alpine skiing men's downhill training.

The United States will send eight athletes to the 2026 Winter Olympics in aerials skiing, with Olympic gold medalist Chris Lillis and two-time Olympians Winter Vinecki and Kaila Kuhn leading the pack.

Elis Lundholm is set to become the first athlete to compete at a Winter Olympics while being publicly out as transgender. The 23-year-old is a Swedish mogul skier who made his debut in the sport during the 2024 World Cup, where he best placed 18th.

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — Ask freestyle skier Colby Stevenson if he likes big air, the most high-flying event in a sport full of them, and his answer is short and to the point. “No,' he said. ”I have no real use for it.

The United States has the most athletes competing in the Winter Olympics, but is not favored to win the gold medal race.

NBC's Winter Olympics coverage will lean heavily on athletes competing for the U.S., as the broadcaster seeks to tap American patriotism and capture eyeballs during the games. One exception: a 22-year-old freestyle skier competing for China who will get the full star treatment.