At the closing ceremony of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, China's delegation achieved its best overseas result with five golds, four silvers and six bronzes. International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry declared the Games closed, as Chinese athletes excelled both in competition and cultural exchanges.
The Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics took place in Italy from February 6 to 22, featuring 116 events across eight sports and 16 disciplines. China sent 126 athletes to compete in seven sports and 91 events, marking its largest overseas Winter Games delegation.
Team China won 15 medals in total, including five golds, four silvers and six bronzes, surpassing the 5-2-4 record from the 2010 Vancouver Games. The first gold came from Su Yiming in men's snowboarding slopestyle on Wednesday. Ning Zhongyan then set an Olympic record of 1:41.98 to win the men's 1,500m speed skating, ousting U.S. favorite Jordan Stolz. Xu Mengtao defended her women's aerials title, while her husband Wang Xindi claimed the men's event, making them one of the few married couples to win individual Olympic titles in the same sport and discipline at the same Games.
On the final day, Eileen Gu scored 94.75 points in her third run to win women's freeski halfpipe gold at Livigno Snow Park, with teammate Li Fanghui earning silver at 93.00 and Britain's Zoe Atkin bronze at 92.50. This elevated Gu to the most decorated Olympic freeskier, with three golds and three silvers across two Games. Overall, 49 Chinese athletes finished in the top eight of their events, up from 37 at Beijing 2022.
The Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council sent a congratulatory message on Monday: "United as one and striving for excellence, you demonstrated tenacity and superb skills, showcasing the positive and uplifting spirit of Chinese sports." The letter praised fair competition, friendly exchanges and presenting China's strength, spirit and image in the new era.
Deputy head Tong Lixin said: "They successfully accomplished all their competitive tasks, achieving excellence in both athletic performance and sportsmanship, showcasing the flourishing development of China's ice and snow sports." He noted room for improvement, as China still lags globally in winter sports and must enhance international competitiveness.
Figure skaters Sui Wenjing and Han Cong promoted Chinese culture in their program. Sui said: "Coming into our third Olympics, one of our main goals, while trying for another medal, was to promote the beauty of Chinese culture." Han added: "We'd like to introduce Chinese culture to the world, so that athletes from other cultures can learn about it." Canadian skater Madeline Schizas used the Chinese concerto Butterfly Lovers, describing it as "the Chinese Romeo and Juliet" and noting excitement to bring something different from typical Western music.
Following the Games' closure at Verona Olympic Arena, Milan will host its annual Dragon Parade on March 1 at Piazza Sempione to mark the Chinese New Year.
