Speed skating champion Erin Jackson has been tapped to lead Team USA at Friday's 2026 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony.
The 33-year-old Ocala, Florida native shares flag-bearing duties with bobsledder Frank Del Duca, after her teammates voted her into the prestigious role.
Jackson made history in 2022, becoming the first Black woman to win an individual gold medal at the Winter Games. After capturing the 500-meter speed skating title in Beijing, she returns to defend her crown while also competing in the 1,000-meter event.
Milan will host the main Opening Ceremony at San Siro Stadium, with simultaneous celebrations across Predazzo, Livigno, and Cortina d'Ampezzo. The ceremony will make history by lighting two Olympic cauldrons, with one in Milan and another in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
In a pre-ceremony interview, Jackson spoke about the significance of representing her country, saying the honor goes beyond than one individual. As an Olympic flag bearer, she feels she's standing in for her family, teammates, hometown, and everyone who believes in the power of sport. And she takes pride in being an inspiration to aspiring Black athletes around the world.
After retirement, the three-time Olympian plans to start an organization helping young Black speed skaters pursue their dreams. She stressed that representation is crucial, discussing how winter sports have historically lacked diversity. She now sees herself as someone trying to change the game.
Jackson will join Team USA in wearing a Ralph Lauren-designed uniform on Friday, becoming the ninth US speed skater to carry the Olympic flag. She follows her longtime friend Brittany Bowe, who served as flag bearer at Beijing 2022.
What time is the Milano-Cortina Olympics Opening Ceremony?
The Olympics opening ceremony starts at 2 PM ET, live on Peacock.
Afterwards, NBC will air a primetime encore with special coverage at 8 PM ET.
Every Wednesday in February, JWS celebrates Black History Month by spotlighting a prominent Black figure in women's sports history.
More than 20 years ago, Team USA bobsledder Vonetta Flowers changed the Olympics forever, becoming the first Black athlete — in any sport, from any country — to win a Winter Games gold medal when her team topped the podium in Salt Lake City in at the 2002.
Originally a standout sprinter and long jumper at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Flowers turned her track and field dreams into bobsled success by transitioning to become a brakeman for the 2002 USA team, earning gold in the inaugural Olympic women's bobsled event alongside driver Jill Bakken.
After giving birth to twins, Flowers returned to the bobsled track to compete with driver Jean Racine-Prahm and the pair raced to bronze at the 2004 World Championships before finishing sixth at the 2006 Turin Olympics.
Retiring after the 2006 Games, Flowers blazed a trail for Black women in winter sports all the way to Team USA's 2026 flag bearer, Olympic champion speed skater Erin Jackson.
The 2022 US flag bearer, 41-year-old bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor — already the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Olympics history before competing in her fifth straight Games this month — counts Flowers as an inspiration.
"Vonetta Flowers is the reason I'm here," Meyers Taylor said after winning both silver and bronze in Beijing in 2022.
"It's just been such a long legacy of Black athletes at the Winter Olympics and hopefully it just continues."
The Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony promises a groundbreaking celebration on February 6th, as Milano-Cortina 2026 becomes the first Winter Games officially co-hosted by two cities.
The three-hour showcase kicks off at 2 PM ET on NBC, with global superstars and Italian icons coming together around the theme of "Armonia" (AKA harmony) inside Milan's San Siro Stadium.
Five-time Grammy winner Mariah Carey headlines the Opening Ceremony bill, joined by renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, who returns to the Olympics 20 years after performing in Turin. Other confirmed participants include Grammy-nominated pianist Lang Lang, Golden Globe winner Laura Pausini, opera star Cecilia Bartoli, and White Lotus star Sabrina Impacciatore.
What to Expect at the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony
The 2026 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony breaks tradition, instituting an innovative dual-location approach. While 77,000 spectators gather at San Siro Stadium for the Parade of Nations, simultaneous events will also occur in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Predazzo, and Livigno, allowing athletes across all venues to join in on the celebration. It marks the most geographically broad Winter Games in Olympic history, with competition sites spanning more than 400 kilometers.
For the first time, two identical Olympic cauldrons inspired by Leonardo da Vinci will light up at the same time — one at Milan's Arco della Pace and the other in Cortina's Piazza Dibona, where large screens will broadcast San Siro's Opening Ceremony, creating a unified experience across both cities.
Bobsledder Frank Del Duca and speed skating gold medalist Erin Jackson will carry the flag for the US contingent, while Italy's alpine skiing legend Federica Brignone and curling champion Amos Mosaner will bear the host country's flag.
What to Expect at the Closing Ceremony
The 2026 Winter Olympics wrap up on February 22nd, staging the Closing Ceremony at historic Roman amphitheater and UNESCO World Heritage site Verona Arena. Ballet star Roberto Bolle, principal dancer at La Scala Theatre Ballet, will headline the event before Milano-Cortina officially passes the torch to the French Alps for the 2030 Winter Olympics.
How to Watch the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony kicks off on Friday, February 6th at 2 PM ET, live on Peacock.
NBC will later air a primetime encore with special coverage at 8 PM ET.
Team USA is coming in hot, releasing their full 232-player 2026 Olympic roster as the largest US contingent in history gears up for February's Winter Games in Italy.
"Right and left, we have just so many people able to get on the podium at these Games," said speed skater Erin Jackson, as she gears up to defend her 500-meter gold medal in her third Olympic appearance. "I'm really excited."
Between the men's and women's events, 98 of the participating US athletes are returning Olympians, including 33 previous podium finishers — 18 of them gold medalists.
Even more, seven members of Team USA are entering their fifth Winter Games, including decorated alpine skier Lindsey Vonn, hockey captain Hilary Knight, snowboarder Faye Thelen, and bobsled teammates Kaillie Armbruster Humphries and Elana Meyers Taylor.
"I think my age is a big advantage actually," Vonn told reporters. "I have been in that start gate more than anyone else that's in the starting gate."
Meanwhile, the 134 fresh faces will look to have an immediate impact on the Olympic medal table for Team USA, including athletes like 20-year-old Stanford soccer defender and US cross-country skiier Sammy Smith and 15-year-old halfpipe freestyle skiier Abby Winterberger — the youngest member of the 2026 US roster.
How to watch Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics
The 2026 Winter Olympics officially kick off in Italy on February 6th, though a few events — including curling and women's hockey — will get underway on February 4th and 5th.
Full live coverage of the 2026 Olympic Games will air in the US across NBC platforms.