FICTION TO REALITY: The timing couldn’t be more perfect.
As the hit Crave series “Heated Rivalry” continues to gain fans worldwide, its stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie were on Thursday named as among the torchbearers of the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
After fictitiously attending the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, in the series, the two Canadian actors are now bound to join the Olympic Torch Relay carrying the flame in the lead-up to the opening ceremony.
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Organizers have yet to reveal the exact date, timing and location for Williams and Storrie to bear the torch.
The opening ceremony is scheduled for Feb. 6 at the San Siro stadium in Milan, in addition to the titular town of Cortina d’Ampezzo, and three other locations, in sync with the widespread format of this edition of the Games, which will be held at the ski resort locations of Predazzo, Bormio and Livigno, all scattered across northern Italy.
Williams was most recently in Milan to walk the Dsquared2 fall 2026 show, his runway debut, which capped off the first day of Milan Men’s Fashion Week. While in town he also attended the Giorgio Armani show on Monday, and met with Donatella Versace, who proclaimed herself a fan of the series in a video she posted on Instagram on Jan. 9.
The explosive popularity of the Crave TV series “Heated Rivalry” has catapulted its protagonists from relative anonymity to stardom since it premiered in late November 2025.
The queer sports romance show — which was originally produced for Crave in Canada and streams on HBO Max in the U.S. — is landing across the pond. The series’ Italian debut on the latter platform is scheduled for Feb. 13, a month after HBO Max debuted in the country.
A Jacob Tierney-created series, “Heated Rivalry” focuses on two rival professional hockey players, Canada-born Shane Hollander, played by Williams, and Russia-born Ilya Rozanov, played by Storrie, as they navigate rivalry turned into a romantic relationship.
It is based on Rachel Reid’s namesake book, part of the “Game Changers” series.
As reported, Mariah Carey was revealed as one of the performers at the opening ceremony of the Winter Games, alongside Italian stars such as Laura Pausini and Andrea Bocelli. The event will also feature a tribute to the late designer and entrepreneur Giorgio Armani.
The Winter Olympics will run Feb. 6 to 22, while the Paralympics will run March 6 to 15. The closing ceremony for the Olympics and opening ceremony for the Paralympics will both be held at the Arena di Verona, a two-hour drive from Milan.
