VERONA, Italy – The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics concluded Sunday with a vibrant closing ceremony held in the ancient Verona Arena, marking the end of 17 days of competition and a new high for the Italian national team. The Games, notable for their geographically dispersed venues stretching from the mountains to the Mediterranean, were officially declared closed by International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry, who lauded the organizers for delivering “a new kind of winter Games” and setting “a new, very high standard for the future.”
The ceremony itself was a celebration of Italian culture, blending lyric opera, contemporary music, and dance. Artists performed, culminating in a performance by Italian DJ Gabry Ponte that brought the athletes to their feet. The final musical offering came from Achille Lauro, whose song “Incoscienti Giovani” resonated with the youthful energy of the Games.
A particularly striking moment involved the Olympic flame, carried into the Arena by Italian gold medalists from the 1994 Lillehammer Games. The flame was then illuminated as the Olympic rings shone brightly, signaling the official end of the competition. The twin flames in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo were extinguished, a symbolic closing of the chapter for the host nation.
Italy enjoyed a record-breaking performance at these Games, securing a total of 30 medals – 10 gold, 6 silver, and 14 bronze. This surpassed their previous best of 20 medals achieved at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics. Giovanni Malagò, president of the Milan Cortina Foundation, praised the Italian athletes, stating their performance “united Italians everywhere and played a fundamental role in the success of the games.”
The handover to the next Winter Olympic host, France, was a key element of the ceremony. Representatives from France officially received the Olympic flag, signifying their responsibility for the 2030 Winter Games. The 2030 Games are planned to follow a similar geographically spread-out model, with events taking place in the Alps and Nice, on the Mediterranean Sea. Speedskating events are still being considered for either Italy or the Netherlands.
These Games featured 116 medal events across eight sports and 16 disciplines. A notable addition to the Olympic program was ski mountaineering, making its debut this year. The final medal events, the 50-kilometer mass start cross-country races for both men and women, were awarded just hours before the closing ceremony by Kirsty Coventry.
The scale of the Milan Cortina Games was unprecedented, spanning 22,000 square kilometers. Events were held across a wide geographical area, from ice sports in Milan to biathlon in Anterselva, snowboarding and downhill skiing in Valtellina, cross-country skiing in Val di Fiemme, and curling and sliding sports in Cortina d’Ampezzo. This logistical challenge was acknowledged by Coventry in her remarks, highlighting the organizers’ success in managing such a dispersed event.
The closing ceremony differed in scale from the opening ceremony, which featured performances by Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli in Milan’s San Siro stadium. Approximately 12,000 spectators attended the closing ceremony in Verona, creating a more intimate atmosphere for the athletes and officials.
The Olympic spirit will continue in Verona, as the city prepares to host the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina Paralympics on March 6th, with the Games running through March 15th. The extinguishing of the Olympic flames marks not an end, but a transition, as the focus shifts to the Paralympic athletes and their upcoming competition.
The ceremony concluded with a light show in lieu of traditional fireworks, a decision made to protect local wildlife. The spectacle brought to a close a Games that, according to Coventry, has set a new benchmark for future Winter Olympic events.
