olympics

27 Nov 2025

Dua Lipa Hypes the Women of Team USA Ahead of 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan: Watch New Promo

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Training season’s not over just yet. Dua Lipa stars in the latest campaign for NBCUniversal as she hypes the women of Team USA ahead of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games.

The British pop star struts through a winter wonderland in the snowy streets of Milan and shows off her polyglot skills, jumping from speaking Italian to English with ease.

Premiering during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday morning (Nov. 27), Dua elegantly slides through Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II center while shouting out Olympic skier Lindsay Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin, snowboarder Chloe Kim and emerging figure skater Alysa Liu, all to the punchy disco-pop sound of Lipa’s Billboard Hot 100 top 40 “Training Season” hit.

Rocking a chic black fur, Lipa braves the cold, holding a dog and petting another Husky while uttering “see you there” in Italian to bring the frigid Olympic spot to a close.

“As a global music and fashion icon, Dua Lipa perfectly embodies Milan’s spirit — cool, confident, and world-class,” said NBCUniversal SVP of creative marketing in sports and entertainment, Joseph Lee. “This piece captures both Milan’s magic and the power of many of the women athletes who will define the 2026 Winter Olympics.”

The Opening Ceremony for the XXV Olympic Winter Games is set for Feb. 6, which can be viewed in primetime on NBC and Peacock.

As for Dua, the “Levitating” singer’s Radical Optimism Tour is heading to Colombia for a Bogota show on Nov. 28. Lipa will then head to Mexico for three shows in Mexico City to finish the global trek.

Watch Dua bring the cool to Milan for NBC below.

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21 Nov 2025

Taylor Swift on Ice: Olympic Figure Skaters Share Mesmerizing Routine Set to ‘Fate of Ophelia’

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Keep it 100 on the land, the sea, the sky — and the ice.

Ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, two British skaters shared a mesmerizing routine set to Taylor Swift‘s “The Fate of Ophelia,” proving that showgirls can shine on frozen stages too.

In a clip shared by the Olympics’ official Instagram account, Bronze medalist Lilah Fear and seven-time British Ice Dance champion Lewis K. Gibson glide, spin and twirl in perfect sync on the rink, subbing in their own majestic moves for the pop star’s viral choreography in the “Ophelia” music video.

“Lilah and Lewis make it look so simple…,” the caption reads. “By the way, how has Taylor not seen this yet?”

The post comes just a few months ahead of the Feb. 6 kickoff of the Winter Games in Italy next year. In addition to figure skating, skiing, Bobsleighing, curling, ice hockey and more sports will be on the docket.

The Olympics also shared the video as “The Fate of Ophelia” is spending its sixth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The track is by far the biggest hit from Swift’s Billboard 200-topping album The Life of a Showgirl, which dropped in October and quickly set a new record for biggest opening sales week of all time.

Two other superstars who’ve been a part of the promo cycle leading up to the Games next year are Wicked‘s Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Both leading ladies starred in videos showcasing Team USA’s curling and figure-skating teams shared earlier this month in partnership with NBC.

Check out Fear and Gibson’s “Fate of Ophelia” routine below.


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06 Nov 2025

Watch Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande Help Team USA Defy Gravity in ‘Wicked’ New Winter Olympics Ads

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Good news! Wicked: For Good is coming soon, and so are the Winter Olympics — as advertised in two new magical videos promoting the biennial event featuring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.

In one clip posted by NBC Sports on Thursday (Nov. 5), the Tony-winning actress who portrays Elphaba in Jon M. Chu’s live-action adaptations of the Broadway musical joins the United States curling team for practice. As they struggle with a faulty broom, Erivo holds up her character’s signature mode of travel and says knowingly, “Try this.”

When the gravity-defying broomstick helps the team achieve its desired results, Erivo does the adorable BFF wave that she and the R.E.M. Beauty founder do in the first Wicked film.

Speaking of Grande, a second clip posted Thursday by NBC opens with figure skating champion Alysa Liu performing a breathtaking routine on the ice before something like an earthquake interrupts her. The camera then zooms out to show that the athlete is actually inside of a snow globe, which the pop star has been gazing into and shaking.

The videos come just a few weeks ahead of the Nov. 21 premiere of the Wicked sequel in theaters, almost exactly one year after the first film arrived and shattered box-office records. Less than three months after the saga comes to a close, the Winter Olympics will kick off Feb. 6 on NBC and Peacock.

The partnership between Wicked and the Olympics marks a full-circle moment, as both Erivo and Grande attended the Summer Games in 2024 as part of their mammoth press cycle for the first film. Universal Pictures also arranged for the real-life Emerald City train from the movies to stop through Paris in honor of the event.

For the second film, the promotional blitz has been noticeably more lowkey, with Grande recently confirming that this was an intentional move to keep the film feeling like it was in the hands of true fans. This week, the first international premiere of Wicked: For Good took place in Brazil, although the two-time Grammy winner was forced to miss the event due to a “safety issue” with her flight.

“i am so heartbroken that i’m unable to be there with you all,” she wrote Tuesday (Nov. 4) on her Instagram Story, urging fans not to “wish danger” on her just because they felt upset by her absence. “we sincerely tried everything we could and i apologize from the bottom of my heart.”

Watch Erivo and Grande star in new ads for the Winter Olympics below.


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28 Oct 2025

Elmo, Cookie Monster & More ‘Sesame Street’ Pals Headed to Italy for 2026 Olympics (and Cannolis!)

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Sunny day! Elmo and his friends are inviting the world to come and play at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina in Italy.

As announced Tuesday (Oct. 28), the furry red monster is bringing Cookie Monster, Grover and more muppet pals to the Games in February to help with NBCUniversal’s coverage of the biennial event. According to a release, the characters will be featured in activations across Sesame Street’s socials leading up to and during the competitions, as well as in NBCU’s social and broadcast coverage of the athletics.

“Elmo is very excited to come to Milan – that’s in Italy!” Elmo said in statement. “Elmo can’t wait to cheer on all the athletes at the Olympics. Elmo’s mommy is knitting him a special red, white and blue hat. Yeah, baby!”

Cookie Monster added that he’s excited for the trip for other reasons. “Me been practicing curling with a giant chocolate chippie!” he said. “Me can’t wait to try all the delicious Italian treats. Cannoli, me got me eye on you!”

The inclusion of Sesame Street in next year’s Games follows the success of Elmo and friends’ partnership with NBCU in Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics. The gang was featured in illustrations showing their method of travel to the city for the event — via hot air balloon — as well as spots on TODAY, Access Hollywood, NBC Nightly News for Kids promoting the contest.

The group also participated in NBC Sports’ daytime coverage of the Summer Games, meeting Team USA athletes and sharing their experiences on the Sesame Street and NBC Olympics socials.

“Sesame Street has long been a source of joy and learning for families across the country,” said Lyndsay Signor, senior VP of sports marketing for Universal Television Entertainment Group, in a statement. “Bringing Elmo, Cookie Monster and their friends to the Winter Games in Milan and Cortina after the success in Paris adds a playful and heartwarming touch to our Olympic storytelling.”

“Their universal charm fits perfectly with the global spirit of the Olympics,” she added. “And Cookie Monster — we’ve got a fresh batch of biscotti waiting for you!”


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20 Mar 2025

Will Kendrick Lamar Be Involved in 2028 Summer Olympics in L.A.? It’s a ‘Fair Bet’

If you’re tired of Kendrick Lamar, he’s not going anywhere for at least three years. Earlier Thursday (March 20), Casey Wasserman — the head of the Wasserman talent agency and the chairman of the 2028 L.A. Olympics organizing committee — spoke with The Associated Press in Greece during the 14th International Olympic Committee session and floated the idea that Lamar may be involved with the 2028 Summer Games.

“Fortunately in my day job, I represent Kendrick Lamar,” Wasserman told the AP. “He is truly an L.A. icon, so I think it would be a pretty fair bet that Kendrick will be involved in the Olympics in Los Angeles in some way.”

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Wasserman also mentioned the L.A. wildfires from earlier this year and that the Summer Olympics can make for a good “comeback story.”

“The rebirth, the rebuild, maybe reimagining L.A. 2.0 — and the Olympics as a catalyst for all those things — we think is really part of our ethos,” he said. “You can’t have a natural disaster at that scale in a city as big and as important as Los Angeles and not have it be part of your core philosophy going forward.”

Lamar has had himself a crazy year. Since popping up as a hidden feature on Future and Metro Boomin‘s song “Like That” in March 2024, kicking off his historic rap battle with Drake, he seemingly beat the Toronto rapper handily, dropped a No. 1 album in GNX, and performed the most-watched Super Bowl Halftime Show in history.

He was also a hidden feature on Playboi Carti‘s most recent album Music, appearing on the songs “Mojo Jojo,” where he provides ad libs; “Backd00r,” on which he and Jhené Aiko are on chorus duty; and “Good Credit,” where he gives fans a stellar verse as he pulled off a great A$AP Relli line.

The Los Angeles opening ceremony is set for Friday, July 14, 2028.

12 Feb 2025

These Singers Saw Their Streaming Numbers Spike After Major Sporting Events

From Usher’s Super Bowl showcase to the most musically talented Met, appearances related to major sporting events helped artists across genres — and at different career points — earn sizable streaming gains in 2024. (All data according to Luminate.)

And the trend has continued so far in 2025: Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show on Feb. 9 was a major boost for the rapper.

Usher
Super Bowl LVIII (Feb. 11)

The combination of Usher’s career-spanning medley during his spectacular Super Bowl halftime show and the release of his album Coming Home two days earlier helped his streaming catalog skyrocket 299% compared with the previous week, with his 2004 smash “Yeah!” among the biggest gainers.

Jennifer Hudson
NBA All-Star Game (Feb. 18)

The R&B veteran’s halftime show medley of her songs “Remission” and “I Got This” at Indianapolis’ Gainbridge Fieldhouse helped give her catalog a 4% boost in weekly streams.

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Candelita
“OMG” On-Field Performance (June 28)

New Yorks Mets infielder Jose ­Iglesias moonlights as the recording artist ­Candelita, and his live debut of his single “OMG” following a Mets game at Citi Field helped the song move over 1,000 weekly downloads and top the Latin ­Digital Song Sales chart.

Gojira
2024 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony (July 26)

Lady Gaga and Céline Dion were among the stars helping ring in the Summer Games in Paris, but French rockers Gojira grabbed headlines by becoming the first metal band to perform at the Olympics. Its catalog earned a 283% streaming bump over the next four days in the process.

Kavinsky
2024 Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony (Aug. 11)

As athletes said au revoir to Paris by joining Phoenix, Air and Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig onstage, French producer Kavinsky dropped his 2010 synthwave single “Nightcall,” causing a Shazam sensation and boosting the track’s streams by 74%.

Beyoncé
NFL Christmas Day Halftime Show (Dec. 25)

During Netflix’s first NFL Christmas showcase, Queen Bey presented songs from her Cowboy Carter album live for the first time at NRG Stadium in her hometown of Houston — and the album shot from 7.4 million weekly streams to 17.6 million during the following week, up 137%.

Kendrick Lamar
Super Bowl LIX

Kendrick Lamar was already one of the world’s most-streamed artists, but his riveting halftime show at Super Bowl LIX on Sunday (Feb. 9) helped his biggest hits — and his entire discography — climb even higher. On Feb. 10, the day after his performance at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome, Lamar’s streaming catalog earned 70.9 million official U.S. on-demand streams — a 153% increase from the previous Monday’s total (27.5 million on Feb. 3), according to Luminate. Similar spikes occurred for halftime highlights “Squabble Up” (up 159% in daily streams) and “TV Off” (up 139%), while “Not Like Us” earned an even greater uptick (up 222%); meanwhile, Lamar’s costar SZA, who joined him on two songs during the showcase, saw her own streaming catalog soar, up 58% to 30.3 million streams on the day after the big game.

This story appears in the Feb. 8, 2025, issue of Billboard.

07 Nov 2024

Raygun, Controversial Olympic B-Girl With Questionable Dance Moves, Retires

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Breaking - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 14

Raygun, a b-girl who competed for Australia at the inaugural breaking competition at this year’s Summer Olympics, turned heads during the event with some questionable dance moves and went viral in memes. Raygun announced during an interview with an Australian outlet that she is no longer going to compete in breaking and will retire.

Raygun, real name Rachael Gunn, was a guest on The Jimmy & Nath Show and explained why she’s walking away from the sport of breaking after receiving negative commentary regarding her time in the competition. In so many words, Gunn says that her love of dancing led her to the world stage but that competing is no longer on the table for her after the backlash.

“I’m not going to compete anymore, no,” Gunn said earlier this week. “I was going to keep competing, for sure, but that seems really difficult for me to do now to approach a battle.”

Away from breaking, Gunn is an educator for Macquarie University Faculty of Arts for its Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language, and Literature. Gunn famously penned her PhD thesis, “Deterritorializing gender in Sydney’s breakdancing scene: a B-girl’s experience of B-boying,” from her standpoint of becoming involved with breaking in her home country.

Raygun didn’t score one point during her time in the Summer Olympics breaking event, prompting many online to believe she was placed on the stage as a means to draw ratings or cause controversy. Gunn has since shot down the claim.

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Photo: Getty

08 Oct 2024

Celine Dion Tears Up in Emotional Reaction to Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Incredible’ Kellyoke Cover of ‘My Heart Will Go On’

Celine Dion‘s heart will definitely go on for Kelly Clarkson.

Following the Kelly Clarkson Show host’s powerful Kellyoke cover of the icon’s classic Titanic ballad “My Heart Will Go On,” Dion shared a tearful reaction to the tribute in a video posted to social media on Tuesday (Oct. 8).

“I just saw you singing ‘My Heart Will Go On,’ and I’m crying again,” the Canadian superstar says in the clip, wiping away tears. “You were absolutely incredible, fantastic. I loved it so much. I hope we can see each other in person soon.”

Dion also thanked Clarkson for her support during the 2024 Olympics, which saw the former making a triumphant return to the stage in July after privately battling a rare and debilitating neurological illness called Stiff Person Syndrome. After Dion nailed the final notes of a glorious cover of Édith Piaf’s “Hymne A L’Amour” during the Paris Games’ opening ceremony, NBC’s broadcast cut to the American Idol alum, who served as one of this year’s commentators.

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“If you know anything about Celine right now, she feels this is her purpose … and if you know anything about what she’s going through right now — I’m so sorry, I’m trying to hold it together right now,” Clarkson said at the time, getting choked up. “But then she got through that. That was incredible. In my field, she is the gold winner for vocal athletes.”

A little over three months later, Dion is recognizing the “Stronger” singer for her kind words. “Kelly, when I came back from the Olympics, I got to watch and listen to your reaction to my performance on the Eiffel Tower,” Dion says in the new video. “It was so sweet to hear you. Your voice was breaking and it touched me so tremendously. You were crying, and then you made me start crying. What’s up with all this frickin’ crying?”

Dion’s praise is undoubtedly meaningful to Clarkson, especially considering what the latter said of “My Heart Will Go On” shortly after performing it on The Kelly Clarkson Show: “Usually I would never cover that song because there’s some songs you don’t want to go near as a vocalist.”

See Dion’s reaction to Clarkson’s rendition of “My Heart Will Go On” below.

11 Sep 2024

Raygun Is the Top-Ranked Breaker in the World? Sport’s Governing Body Explains

Australian breaker Rachael Gunn, or “b-girl Raygun,” holds the top spot in her sport’s latest world rankings despite Olympic performances that led to online ridicule.

On Tuesday, the sport’s governing body issued a statement to “provide clarity” on why Raygun tops the rankings.

Raygun, a 37-year-old university lecturer from Sydney, failed to score any points at the Paris Olympics in routines that included a “kangaroo” dance.

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The World DanceSport Federation said the ranking methodology is based on each athlete’s top four performances within the past 12 months — but excludes Olympic events including the Paris Games and Olympic qualifier series events in Shanghai and Budapest.

Additionally, no ranking events were held between December 2023 and the Olympics — to allow athletes to focus on qualification.

The federation clarified that the unusual circumstances of this year’s competition schedule resulted in many athletes being ranked based on a single event. In Raygun’s case, her first-place finish at the Oceania continental championships in October 2023 earned her 1,000 points.

Many within the breaking community have criticized the rankings for not giving a clear picture of breaking as a sport and as a culture.

“Speaking of the WDSF, they actually don’t have any real merit with the breakers or the breaking community,” said Zack Slusser, vice president of Breaking for Gold USA. “And they also haven’t been able to organize events by their measure that would contribute to creating an accurate world ranking.”

According to Slusser, breakers only performed in events organized by the WDSF — the Lausanne-based governing body for competitive dance sports — to get enough points to qualify for the Paris Olympics.

Breakers “had no incentive, no desire to even continue participating with the WDSF after that,” Slusser said. “Because they’re not cultural events. They are not enjoyable.”

11 Sep 2024

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony Was a French Electronic Music Fête for the Ages: Photos

The closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympics Games leaned fully into French electronic music, and with dazzling results.

The ceremony, which happened at Paris’ Stade De France on Sept. 8, assembled not only athletes, but a legendary crew of French dance producers that included the pioneering Jean Michel Jarre, Ed Banger founder Busy P, dance-pop master Martin Solveig, Kavinsky — whose 2010 classic “Nightcall” experienced a streaming surge when he also performed it at the Closing Ceremony of the 2024 Olympics Games — and other French Touch stars including Étienne de Crécy, DJ Falcon and Alan Braxe, Breakbot, Irfane, Chloé Caillet and more.

The ceremony also included the first performance from Cassius’ Boombass since the duo’s Philippe Zdar died in 2019 after an accidental fall.

The artists assembled played many of their classics, with Breakbot performing their 2010 era-defining hit “Baby I’m Yours,” while an assistant held an umbrella over a very sharply dressed Irfane as he delivered the vocals. Solveig lit up the stadium with pyro while playing his 2011 hit “Hello,” and the night reached a euphoric peak with the play of Daft Punk’s enduring “One More Time.”

“I see you my Malaysian, English and Ukrainian friends!” Busy P wrote on Instagram in a post of images from the rainy night. “If you still wonder what French Touch is, this is it! It’s us, you, them! Reuniting 24 DJs coming from various worlds, breaking boundaries is French Touch! Being emotional and dance at the same time to celebrate our brothers DJ Mehdi & Zdar is French Touch! Partying hard despite heavy rain is French Touch! Wearing cheap plastic ponchos on top of our Louis Vuitton suits is French Touch! Doing conga line while French techno queen [Anetha] is hammering le Stade de France is French Touch!

“French Touch is not only a music genre,” he concluded. “It’s a state of mind. I salute and send warm kisses to all my fellow DJs who embraced that feeling Sunday night.”

See photos from the night below.