Three-Time Olympic Snowboarding Gold Medalist Shaun White Joins Guthrie and Gannon in the Booth for the Parade of Nations
Live Coverage of the Opening Ceremony of the XXV Olympic Winter Games Begins Friday, Feb. 6, at 12 p.m. ET with Primetime Coverage Starting at 8 p.m. ET, Both on NBC and Peacock
STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 23, 2025 – Award-winning journalist and TODAY co-anchor Savannah Guthrie will join NBC Sports critically-acclaimed commentator Terry Gannon to host NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Opening Ceremony of the Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games on Feb. 6, 2026. In addition, three-time Olympic snowboarding gold medalist Shaun White will join Guthrie and Gannon in the broadcast booth when the athletes enter the stadium for the Parade of Nations. Gannon joined Guthrie to make the announcement this morning on TODAY.
The centerpiece for this year’s Opening Ceremony will be Milan’s iconic San Siro Stadium – which was built nearly 100 years ago and is home to world renowned football clubs AC Milan and Inter Milan. Event organizers have said Milan will celebrate the opening of the Olympic Winter Games by involving all competition venues in a way no one has seen before.
With the Winter Games returning to Western Europe for the first time in two decades, Guthrie and Gannon will lead viewers through the unmatched spectacle and pageantry of the Olympic Opening Ceremony, from the Parade of Nations to the dramatic lighting of the Olympic cauldron. White, a five-time Olympian, will join Guthrie and Gannon in the commentator booth to provide his unique insights during the Parade of Nations, the procession of the world’s greatest winter athletes entering San Siro Stadium, including Team USA.
Despite being 6,000 miles away, Olympic primetime host Mike Tirico will contribute to the Opening Ceremony coverage from northern California, where he will be preparing to call Super Bowl LX on Sunday, Feb. 8, from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif, on NBC and Peacock.
NBCUniversal’s live coverage of the Opening Ceremony begins at 12 p.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, with primetime coverage beginning at 8 p.m. ET, both on NBC and Peacock.
“There is nothing like an Opening Ceremony at an Olympic Games when the world comes together, promoting peace, unity, and athletic excellence,” said Molly Solomon, Executive Producer, NBC Olympics. “With their multitude of Olympic broadcasting experiences, Savannah and Terry are the perfect team to launch our Winter Olympic coverage. And joining them is snowboarding legend Shaun White, whose five Olympic appearances and unmatched perspective as a global ambassador for his sport will bring viewers inside the athlete experience.”
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to host the Opening Ceremony alongside the incomparable Terry Gannon and snowboarding legend Shaun White,” said Guthrie. “It’s such an honor to celebrate the world’s best athletes and introduce the magic and wonder of the Winter Games and northern Italy to viewers at home.”
“Winter sports’ greatest athletes at a legendary stadium in one of the most vibrant cities in the world…count me in!” said Gannon. “I’m thrilled to be a part of the team along with Savannah and Shaun for a compelling, meaningful showcase to kick off the Milan Cortina Olympics.”
“I’m so excited to be part of the Opening Ceremony for the Milan Cortina Olympics,” said White. “The Olympics have been such a huge part of my life, and to return in this new role -- celebrating the athletes, the energy, and the incredible backdrop of Italy -- is truly an honor. I know what that moment means when the world is watching, and I can’t wait to help bring that magic to everyone at home.”
This will be Guthrie’s fourth Opening Ceremony assignment, joining Tirico in the booth for Tokyo and Beijing, and stationed with Hoda Kotb on a bridge over the Seine for the historic boat parade in Paris. A veteran of the past four Olympic Closing Ceremonies, Gannon will host his first Opening Ceremony. A five-time Olympian and three-time gold medalist, this is White’s first Opening Ceremony assignment with NBCUniversal after a decorated snowboarding career. He contributed to NBC Olympics’ coverage for two Summer Games -- London 2012 and Rio 2016. White won halfpipe gold medals in Torino, Vancouver, and PyeongChang en route to becoming one of the most recognizable U.S. Winter Olympians ever.
During the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, Guthrie will also co-anchor TODAY, which she has done on site for London, Sochi, PyeongChang, Tokyo, and Paris. More information about TODAY’s plans for Milan Cortina and Gannon’s role in Milan will be announced at a later date.
The Milan Cortina Opening Ceremony will be produced and directed by Sports Emmy Award winners Lindsay Schanzer and Mike Sheehan, respectively.
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With unique and unforgettable backdrops throughout northern Italy, the 2026 Winter Olympics will span from Milan to Cortina with events taking place across multiple venues and regions. This will be the second time the Olympics are held in Cortina (1956 Winter Olympics) and the fourth time overall that Italy has hosted an Olympic Games (1960 Rome Olympics and 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, which is the last time there was a Winter Games in the Central European Time Zone).
In February, NBCU announced that the NBC broadcast network and streaming service Peacock will be the company’s primary platforms for its coverage of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, scheduled for Feb. 6-22, 2026. Click here for more programming information and here for information about the Paralympics, which will take place March 6-15, 2026.
NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights to the Olympic Games through 2036, which are scheduled for Milan Cortina (2026), Los Angeles (2028), French Alps (2030), Brisbane (2032), Salt Lake City (2034), and the 2036 Summer Games.
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--MILAN CORTINA WINTER OLYMPICS--
