How to stream the 2026 Winter Olympics for free in Canada
The Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics have arrived, and Canada is bound to be hauling in the medals.
A total of 207 Canadian athletes are competing in this year’s Winter Olympics, representing eight provinces and one territory.
Canadians wanting to follow along at home won’t even need to break out their wallet to do so. CBC Gem is streaming the Olympic Games completely free of charge, allowing fans to watch events live, take in replays, and watch highlights.
CBC has said that it will be providing a whopping 22 hours of live content from Italy throughout the duration of the Olympics. This means that Canadians will be able to watch every second of the event without having to pull out a credit card.
Sportsnet and TSN will also be providing coverage, but it will not be free.
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When is the Olympic opening ceremony?
While some Olympic sports have already gotten underway, the opening ceremony is set to go on Friday.
This won’t be a typical ceremony, as this year’s Games will incorporate several different venues across Northern Italy. The central location for the festivities will take place in Milan’s San Siro Olympic Stadium, while athletes will also be spread out at other venues in Livigno, Predazzo, and Cortina.
Canada will be showing up to the ceremony in style with specially designed Lululemon gear made for the Parade of Nations.
There will be two Olympic cauldrons lit during the ceremony, with one in Milan and the other in Cortina. Among the featured performers at this year’s opening ceremony will be five-time Grammy winner Mariah Carey, Golden Globe winner Laura Pausini, and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.
#MILANOCORTINA2026 IS HERE š„š®š¹
Watch the Opening Ceremony Feb. 6 at 1:50pm ET on @cbcgem pic.twitter.com/r7l9fmtLd9
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 5, 2026
The 2026 Olympic opening ceremony will broadcast on Friday at 1:50 p.m. EST/10:50 a.m. PST.