Skiers training ahead of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, at the Anterselva resort in the Italian Dolomites, on February 6, 2026. Photo Matthew Childs/Reuters Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics - Biathlon Training - Anterselva Biathlon Arena, South Tyrol, Italy - February 06, 2026. Zachary Connelly of Canada during training REUTERS/Matthew Childs
BEIRUT — The opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics will take place this Friday, Feb. 6, at 9 p.m. (Beirut time), with the traditional parade featuring Samer Tawk and Andrea al-Hayek, the two Lebanese athletes qualified for these Games.
After carrying the Lebanese flag across the legendary San Siro stadium in Milan, the two men, each set to compete in one event, will return to their base camp in the Italian mountains to refine their preparation ahead of their competition debut.
Competition starts on Feb. 13 and 16
The first of the two to qualify, Tawk, 27, from Bsharri (North Lebanon), will start in the 10km individual cross-country skiing race on Friday, Feb. 13 at 12:45 p.m. local time, according to the competition schedule. The race will take place on the Lago stadium track in Tesero, in the Trentino-Alto Adige region.
Having become, in the 2018 Games in South Korea — his first Olympics — the first Lebanese to qualify in cross-country skiing since the creation of the Winter Games in 1924, Tawk has already claimed a first victory by securing his ticket to Milan-Cortina after seven years of hard work, following a 14-meter fall in 2019 that nearly left him paralyzed.
Hayek, born in Paris and a member of the Faraya-Mzaar club (Kesrouan), will compete in alpine skiing in the slalom category on Monday, Feb. 16. He will race down the slopes at the Stelvio station, located on Vallecetta Mountain in the Dolomites, starting at 11 a.m. for the event's first run, followed by the second beginning at 2:30 p.m.
At just 17 years old, this student at the Lycée Français in London did not necessarily expect to find himself in the spotlight at such a young age. Lebanese champion at 16, he mainly hopes to do his best representing one of his three countries, having also competed for Greece in youth categories.
All events will be broadcast across various Eurosport channels on television, or on the HBO Max streaming platform, in partnership with Eurosport. Some events will also be available on France Télévisions and its online France TV sport channel.
Both Lebanese athletes also document their daily preparations on their respective Instagram accounts. To follow Tawk and Hayek, click the highlighted links.
Lebanon was supposed to have a third representative in Manon Ouaiss, who was set to compete in giant slalom and slalom. Unfortunately, she injured her left leg in mid-January during a preparation race.
At the last Games in Beijing in 2022, the Lebanese delegation included three athletes: Ouaiss, Cesar Arnouk (alpine skiing), and Elie Tawk (cross-country skiing). Since the St. Moritz Winter Games in 1948, Lebanon has always been represented at every Olympics.
