Shaun White, three-time Olympic Gold Medalist. Photo: Aika Lau
NBC announced this week that three-time Olympic snowboarding gold medalist Shaun White will be part of its broadcast team for the Opening Ceremonies of the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games. White will be joining TODAY co-anchor Savannah Guthrie and NBC Sports commentator Terry Gannon during the Parade of Nations, the ceremonial event where athletes enter the Olympic stadium behind the flag of the country they represent.
“I’m so excited to be part of the Opening Ceremony for the Milan Cortina Olympics,” White said in a press release from NBC. “The Olympics have been such a huge part of my life, and to return in this new role – celebrating the athletes, the energy, and the incredible backdrop of Italy – is truly an honor. I know what that moment means when the world is watching, and I can’t wait to help bring that magic to everyone at home.”
White competed in five winter Olympics spanning two decades. His first appearance came in 2006 in Torino, where he won gold in the men’s halfpipe event. He won gold again in 2010 and then in 2018, and finished fourth in the event in both the 2014 and 2022 Games.
White announced during the 2022 Games that he was competing in his final Olympics, then later revealed that he was stepping away from competing altogether. That wrapped up a competitive career outside of the Olympics in which White collected a record 23 medals at the X Games, with 15 gold medals in total. That medal count includes gold in skateboarding vert in 2011 and 2017, making him one of the most decorated cross-sport athletes ever.
