The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games officially begin this Friday, with opening ceremonies kicking off at 11 a.m. PT. Alysa Liu and Troy Chang are already in Milan, awaiting their chance to compete in figure skating and alpine ski racing — incredible accomplishments for two UC students barely in their 20s. Their journeys will be inaugurated by the relay of the Olympic torch to Milan, an effort helped along by a UC forester and his service dog just over a week ago.
Read on to find out how you can cheer on the UC community during the Milan Cortina games.
Alysa Liu
Alysa Liu never thought she would make it to this Olympics. Not for lack of ability — she already placed sixth in women’s figure skating in the 2022 Bejiing Olympics at the age of 16 — but because she didn’t expect to want to. After the 2022 Olympics, she hung up her skates.
As the youngest-ever national champion at 13 years old, Lui had been considered the future of U.S. figure skating for years, but she just wanted to be a normal teenager. “It was a crucial time in my life. I was 16 and college was coming up,” Liu told 60 Minutes. “I wanted to do so much.”
For college, Liu chose UCLA, where she could pursue her many interests, from psychology to the arts. That intellectual and creative curiosity shows up on the ice not only in her attention to detail and elegance but also in her collaboration with costume designers. As a skater, her routines consistently earn 10s from the judges and raves from fans online: her free skate to a Lady Gaga medley went viral. She is a serious favorite for a gold in women’s figure skating.
But Liu has other goals on her mind, too — returning to her friends at UCLA, where she had to put off the semester for the Olympics, and earning her degree in psychology.
How to watch Liu live on Peacock (NBC will replay events later in the day evening as well):
Team event — women's singles short program: Friday, Feb. 6, 4:35 a.m. PT (Peacock)
Women's singles short program: Tuesday, Feb. 17, 9:45 p.m. PT (Peacock)
Women's singles free skate: Thursday, Feb. 19, 10 a.m. PT (Peacock)
Schedules are subject to change; find the most recent information here.
Troy Samuel Chang
Over in Cortina, a first-year UC San Diego Triton is stepping into a moment he once watched from afar.
Troy Samuel Chang, an international business major from Redding, Calif., will represent Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) in alpine ski racing. While many first-year students are settling into campus routines, Chang is preparing to compete at the highest level of his sport — balancing elite competition with his studies.
Originally from Redding, California, Chang first clipped into skis at age 10 before joining a local ski club alongside his brothers. As his skills progressed, he realized he wanted to see how far he could push himself competitively. Chang enrolled at Sugar Bowl Ski Academy in Lake Tahoe — one of the premier ski racing academies in the U.S. — during his junior and senior years of high school, where he was able to focus intensively on training and competition. He secured Olympic qualification at age 20, younger than many competitors in a discipline where athletes often peak later in their careers.
“It’s so cool to compete alongside guys I’ve only seen on TV since I was a kid,” he said. “It feels like my inner child’s dream is coming true.”
How does he do it?
“I like to break things down bit by bit until I can process it,” he said. “That’s something I do with my schoolwork, too.”
Story excerpted from Sara Bock. Read her full piece about Chang at UC San Diego Today.
Chang will be competing in the men’s slalom, which will begin its first runs on Monday, Feb. 16. More details to come.
An Olympic achievement
University of California global forestry expert Matteo M. Garbelotto-Benzon will have had his Olympic moment by the time the Games open Feb. 6. He helped carry the flame along its way to Milan, through his home region in the Dolomites and the mountainous forests that inspired his career. And he will have done this with his service dog, S’Abba, by his side, demonstrating the power of assistance animals — even ones that just show up needing a home at your door. Watch Garbelotto-Benzon and S’Abba below and read his full story here.
What’s next: The ultimate UC Olympics
Once the Winter Olympics close, it will be on to the Winter Paralympics, then LA in 2028. The plethora of NCAA sports that make up the Summer Games should mean a strong showing for UC athletes across swimming, track and field, and team sports, plus UCLA will host the Olympic Village along with several events. Enjoy the Alpine sights for now — much more to come from the California sun, and soon!
