The 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics kicked off on Friday with an opening ceremony held simultaneously across multiple sites in northern Italy. The event celebrated Italian culture and a message of peace while accommodating mountain sport athletes in remote locations. Some 2,900 athletes from 92 countries will compete over an area of about 22,000 square kilometers, the most spread-out Olympics ever.
The main opening ceremony took place at Milan's San Siro Stadium, home to AC Milan and Inter Milan, while athletes in skiing, snowboarding, curling, and sliding events joined the Parade of Nations from three other sites: Cortina d'Ampezzo, Livigno in the Alps, and Predazzo in Trento province. Performances paid tribute to Italian heritage, featuring opera masters Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, and Gioachino Rossini; a show by tenor Andrea Bocelli; and a nod to the late designer Giorgio Armani, who created uniforms for Italian Olympians for decades. For the first time, two cauldrons inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's 'Knots' were lit: in Milan by alpine skiing legends Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni, and in Cortina by Sofia Goggia. Each cauldron measures 3.1 meters in diameter, expanding to 4.5 meters when open, with a central gas burner.
Italy hosts the Winter Games for the first time in 20 years, with Milan handling skating and hockey events, and mountain areas covering skiing and snowboarding across venues spanning 400 kilometers. South Korea fields 71 athletes in six sports, aiming for at least three golds, up from Beijing 2022. Figure skater Cha Jun-hwan and speed skater Park Ji-woo, both three-time Olympians, carried the flag in Milan, where Korea entered as the 22nd nation in Italian alphabetical order. Greece led the parade, followed by Italy as the host.
The organizing committee called this dispersed format 'a model for the future of the Winter Olympics,' emphasizing existing venues and regional expertise. The ceremony promoted harmony and peace amid global tensions. The closing will be in Verona on February 22.
