The Milan-Cortina Olympics Are Less Than 5 Months Away. Here's Why You Should Get Excited Now (Exclusive)

With conscionable 5 months to spell earlier nan 2026 Winter Olympics footwear disconnected successful Milan-Cortina, Italy, NBC and Team USA says nan clip to get excited is now.

"The roadworthy to Milano Cortina is already underway," says Jess Park, elder VP and main of marque and instrumentality engagement for nan U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. "Team USA is nan toughest squad successful nan world to make, and that’s portion of what makes pursuing nan travel truthful exciting."

Leading up to nan Games, fans tin get an wrong look astatine what it takes to gain a spot connected Team USA done programs for illustration Making Team USA, says Park.

"From Trials and qualifications to behind-the-scenes access, we’re inviting fans to subordinate america now and acquisition each measurement of nan measurement to Milano Cortina," Park says.

Jennifer Storms, main trading serviceman astatine NBCUniversal, tells PEOPLE that nan Olympic and Paralympic committees are "building connected nan momentum of Paris" aft a hugely successful Summer Games successful 2024.

"We proved that keeping nan Games successful nan taste speech each azygous time resonates pinch fans," she says of nan Paris Olympics, which proved historical for athletes for illustration Ilona Maher and Simone Biles. "That attack won’t extremity now, and we person a contented roadmap, pinch taste crossovers and celebrity-driven moments that link authentically to wintertime sports. The extremity is to transportation that power consecutive into Milan Cortina."

Additionally, NBC will thin "heavily into social, which continues to present beardown engagement to support fans connected regular to nan athletes and nan Games," says Storms, noting nan prima powerfulness of February's Games will see greats for illustration Chloe Kim, Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin, to sanction a few.

"What we recovered is really we did immoderate studies and Americans wanted to talk and beryllium portion of nan Olympics much frequently, and truthful we brought that to life for Paris," Storms adds.

"So, what we're moving connected now, and person been moving on, is what does nan roadmap look for illustration for content, and specifically a batch of nan personage content? We're mapping retired to find and find wherever nan authentic connections are, wherever nan authentic stories are to now a Winter Olympics," she says. "We person a batch of celebrities that emotion wintertime sports. So really do you pat into those folks and bring them into nan fold?"

The 2026 Winter Olympics will hap during what Storms and NBC are calling "Legendary February" — a 10-day agelong that will person nan Games going connected astatine nan aforesaid clip arsenic nan Super Bowl and NBA's All-Star Weekend. "We’re focused connected making that acquisition seamless for fans, truthful they tin link easy pinch each athlete, each sport, each squad and each story," says Storms.

With nan Games requiring truthful overmuch analyzable and precocious readying years successful beforehand successful bid to make judge things tally smoothly, Park says nan brains down nan Games are ever looking up to early cities.

"When we were preparing for Paris 2024, we weren’t conscionable looking astatine those 2 months —we were laying nan instauration for Milano Cortina, LA28, Salt Lake City 2034 and beyond," she says. "The adjacent decade is group to beryllium 1 of nan astir transformational eras of athletics successful this country, and Team USA is correct astatine nan halfway of it. From introducing bold power successful Paris to spotlighting wintertime talent successful Milano-Cortina and preparing to invited nan Games backmost location for LA and Utah, we’re building a Movement that connects fans to their favourite athletes agelong earlier nan Opening Ceremony."

The Winter Olympics footwear disconnected connected Feb. 6 connected NBC and Peacock.