Feb 23, 2026
3 min read
The twin Olympic stoves in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo were extinguished, marking the end of the most popular winter games.
The double Olympic bronze medals of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo have been extinguished, marking the end of the most famous winter games.2016 Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry announced the 2026 Games at the closing ceremony in Verona, telling local organizers that they had "set a new standard for winter and set a new standard and level of learning for the future".Sixteen medals at the Olympics.Alpine skiing this year, in 17 days of competition.Some 1,500 Olympians throw small national flags into the area to encourage the gathering of Italian pop-Italians from the 20th century, while the crowd sings and sits on the stone sand in areas marked with green, red and white lights of the Italian flag.The 2-hour ceremony opened with Italian music greetings, and the director of the stage, not only shot the closing ceremony, but also the Achillo-mica ceremony inside, the seats.Not in the tunnels of the theater.On the stage, Madama Butterfly in a pink and green dress and Aida in golden rows connected by mirror bars, the singers of the 17th century, the "Libiamo ne 'leiti calica" from La Traviata, a reference to the long history of the Arena as a place for the best summer actors.they are drawn to move.In an important moment, the Olympic flame was brought into the venue in a Venetian glass vase from the 1994 Lillehammer Games in Italian gold vases.The white Olympic rings appeared on the stone steps behind the stage, surrounded by national flags, as someone raised the flame in the center of the stage.It was the first Games for the President of the International Olympic Committee, Kirsty Coventry, a two-time Olympic champion in swimming, who watched the ceremony with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.Some 12,000 spectators were joined by sportsmen and officials in the region in addition to the solemn ceremony and officials in the ceremonies and celebrations.Andreas Bocelli takes center stage in Milan's San Siro football stadium, which holds more than 60,000 people.One of the most important moments of the ceremony is when the Olympic flag is presented to the host of the Winter Games, France, and its flag is raised alongside Italy and Greece.The Milanese Cortina Games took place on a field of 8500 square miles, from the ice sports in Milan to the biathlon in the Vallaeva region and the Swiss in the Austrian region, skiing in the Val di Fiemme north of Verona and the slopes of the women, athletics and lowering the army of Cortina d'Ampezzo.It's a model that will last for future games, avoiding the cost of building a new building.The 2030 Winter Games will be held in the French Alps and Nice on the Mediterranean Sea, while speed skating will be popular in the area.The closing ceremony ended with the Olympic flames being extinguished in two cauldrons in Milan and Cortina, to be watched via video link.The light show is replaced by fire, which is not allowed in Verona, to protect the animals from danger.A total of 116 medals were won in eight Olympic events across 16 levels, including this year's figure skating, over the 17 days of competition.The Milanese Cortina Paralympic event will also be held at the Arena of Verona, April 6th, and the games will run until April 15th.c2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZGw0bicmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0WvNjdRRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pLX0oN
VERONA, Italy - The twin Olympic venues of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo are coming out, marking the end of the long-delayed Winter Games.
International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry announced the 2026 Games at the closing ceremony in Verona, telling local organizers they had "delivered a new kind of Winter Games and you have set a new, very high standard for the future".
The 17-day competition features a total of 116 medal events across eight Olympic Games in 16 disciplines, including the debut of ski climbing this year.
Around 1,500 Olympians entered the venue carrying small national flags to a rousing mix of 20th-century Italian pop music as the crowd sang, taking their seats in the stone arena in spots marked with green, red and white lights for the Italian flag.
Great images Hitij/Getty
The fire from the Olympic Cauldron is extinguished during the Closing Ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on day sixteen of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Arco della Pace on February 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
The two-and-a-half-hour ceremony opened with a tribute to Italian lyrical opera, with the theater director awakening not only the closing act, including Italian singer Achille Lauro, but also the sleeping opera players placed in crates inside the theater's tunnels.
On stage, Madama Butterfly's bright pink and green costume and golden Aida layers emerged from 17th-century mirrored cases. While 19th-century musicians played the joyous "Libiamo ne' lieti calici" from La Traviata, a nod to the Arena's long history as the home of the summer opera festival.
The opera cast, led by the jester Rigoletto, spilled out of the piazza, mingling with stunned athletes carrying their countries' flags, some of whom took out their phones to take pictures.
In a momentous moment, the Italian gold medalists at the 1994 Lillehammer Games carried the Olympic flame in a Venetian glass vessel into the arena.The white-lit Olympic rings could be seen high up on the stone steps behind the stage, flanked by national flags, as someone raised a flame in the middle of the stage.
It was the first Olympics for International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry, a two-time Olympic swimming champion, who watched the ceremony with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Joosep Martinson / Getty Images
Athletes from Team United States look on during the closing ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
Around 12,000 spectators joined the athletes and officials for the much more intimate closing ceremony, featuring Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli, at the San Siro soccer stadium in Milan, which was attended by more than 60,000 people.
One of the most important events is the handover of the Olympic flag to France, the host of the next Winter Olympics, and the flag will be flown together with the flags of Italy and Greece.
The Cortina Festival in Milan spans 8,500 square miles, with events ranging from ice sports in Milan to biathlon in Anterselva on the Austrian border, snowboarding and men's downhill in Valtellina on the Swiss border, cross-country skiing in Val di Fiemme, north of Verona, women's downhill, curling and cross-country.
This is a model that will remain for future games to avoid the cost of building new facilities.The 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps will host events in the Alps and Nice, on the Mediterranean Sea, while skating will be held abroad at a location to be determined.
The closing ceremony will end with the extinguishing of the Olympic flames in the two unprecedented cauldrons in Milan and Cortina, which can be viewed via video link.A light show will replace fireworks, which are banned in Verona, to protect animals from disturbance.
A total of 116 medals were awarded across eight Olympic Games in 16 sports, this year including the start of alpine skiing, over the 17 days of competition.
The opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina Paralympic Games will also take place on 6 March at the Verona Arena and the Games will continue until 15 March.
