ESPN reporters, producers set up shop in Italy for Winter Olympic Games
ESPN has provided global coverage in the weeks leading up to the start of the Milan Cortina Games and has plans for daily news, features and more through its Feb. 22 conclusion
The 2026 Winter Olympics begin Thursday in Italy, and a team of ESPN reporters, editors and producers is on location to bring multiplatform coverage of the events to fans.
The U.S. Women’s Hockey team plays its first game of the Milan Cortina Olympics on Thursday, also the day for Men’s Snowboarding Big Air Qualifying. The opening ceremony is Friday.
With a special section dedicated to the Olympics, ESPN.com has provided global coverage in the weeks leading up to the start of the Games and has plans for daily news, features and reported trend stories that will continue to roll out over all days of competition. ESPN.com and the ESPN App will also feature scoreboards, medal counts and other statistics that are constantly updated in real-time.
Also, SportsCenter will be reporting on results and presenting Olympics information and features while working within video usage restrictions.
ESPN has three reporters, an editor and a producer on location in Italy, with many others working remotely to cover the games. Reporter assignments are subject to change due to breaking news.
ESPN reporters in Italy and their assignments include:
- Emily Kaplan – Men’s and Women’s hockey tournaments, breaking news. Covering her second Olympics for ESPN. Based in Milan.
- D’Arcy Maine – Figure skating, speedskating, breaking news. Covering her fourth Olympics for ESPN. Based in Milan.
- Alyssa Roenigk – Skiing and snowboarding, covering her 11th Olympics for ESPN. Moving between multiple locations in the mountains where the events are being held.
The reporters are working with ESPN Senior Managing Producer Jim Witalka, working his sixth in-person Olympics and eighth overall, and ESPN.com Senior Editor Amy Van Deusen, her first in-person Olympics and fourth overall.
ESPN’s international news platforms also will have two reporters on location in Italy, accompanied by producers, with Katia Castorena based in Milan and Mercedes “Mechi” Margalot working out of Cortina.
They will be serving ESPN viewers in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, China, Colombia, Mexico, Brazil and Australia, coordinated by Sr. Managing Producer Karla Cruz with on-site producers Guillermo Gorrono and Bryan Garcia.
With NBCUniversal being the U.S. rights holder for the Olympics, ESPN, as has been the case for past Olympics, is operating within restrictions on the usage of video. ESPN and NBCU work amicably to discuss opportunities for ESPN to secure the most complete coverage possible for SportsCenter and news platforms.
All other non-NBCU U.S. news outlets are following the News Access Guidelines distributed by NBCU.
Restrictions that non-rights holders follow include delayed availability for the use of highlights, a limitation on how many minutes of highlights may be shown, and limited access to interview U.S. or International athletes directly. Such limits are common in the industry for many significant sports events.
The Games conclude on February 22.
ESPN announced its newest ESPN Original Series “On the Edge: World Cup Ski Racing” will premiere on January 30 on the ESPN app and ESPN on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. The series will also be on Disney+ in international markets at a later date. The five-episode series follows the world’s most elite ski racers across the 2025-26 season and 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. Watch the trailer below.
