On February 6, Italy hosts the opening ceremony of the 25th Winter Olympic Games, marking the official start of one of the world's most anticipated sporting events, Azernews reports.

The opening ceremony will take place at Milan's San Siro Stadium and will begin at 23:00 Baku time. With this spectacular event, the Milano–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will be formally declared open.

For the first time in Olympic history, two Olympic cauldrons will be lit simultaneously. One flame will burn in Milan, near the city's Arch of Peace, while the second will be ignited in Cortina d'Ampezzo, at Piazza Dibona, symbolizing unity between the host cities.

The Winter Games 2026 officially got underway on February 4 with the start of the curling competitions.

Azerbaijan will be represented at the Winter Olympics 2026 by alpine skier Anastasiya Papatoma and figure skater Vladimir Litvintsev. To date, Azerbaijan has not won a medal at the Winter Olympic Games. The country first competed as an independent nation in 1998, at the Nagano Games in Japan.

Azerbaijan's best result so far was achieved at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, where ice dancers Yuliya Zlobina and Aleksey Sitnikov finished 12th in the ice dance event.

At the most recent Winter Olympics, held in Beijing in 2022, Azerbaijan was represented by two athletes. In figure skating, Vladimir Litvintsev placed 18th, while Yekaterina Ryabova finished 15th.

Azerbaijan earned its first-ever qualification for the Winter Paralympic Games 2026 in February 2022.

Cross-country skier Mehman Ramazanzade secured a quota place in the sprint category for the Beijing Paralympics, but unfortunately was unable to make his official debut after sustaining a serious injury during training shortly before the opening ceremony.

The Milano–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games will take place from February 6 to 26, while the Winter Paralympic Games are scheduled for March 6 to 15, with events hosted across Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.