BUDAPEST -- Short track speed skaters Maja Somodi and Bence Nogradi will serve as Hungary's flag bearers during the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are underway after the lighting of the Olympic cauldrons and the Parade of Nations at the opening ceremony.

The 2026 Winter Olympics will begin this week when competitors walk under the wave of their nation's flags at Friday's Opening Ceremony. The ceremony not only offers Olympians a chance to represent their country on the international stage,

Greece, as always, will be the first country introduced in the Parade of Nations for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

It has nothing to do with alphabetical order.

The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, mark a historic moment for the Games. Not only because Italy is hosting for the first time since Torino 2006, but because these Olympics will be taking place in multiple locations, with venues scattered across the Italian Alps and Dolomites.

Ninety-two nations will be present at the 25th edition of the Games, with nearly 3,000 athletes set to compete in 116 different events. However, not all countries will be represented at the major sporting event in Italy, as non-sporting action has once again led to certain countries being barred from competing.