The 2026 Winter Olympics, hosted across Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, concluded Sunday with the extinguishing of the Olympic cauldrons in a closing ceremony held in Verona’s ancient Arena. These Games were noted as the most geographically dispersed Winter Olympics ever.
International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry stated that the organizers "delivered a new kind of winter games and you set a new, very high standard for the future." Over 17 days, 116 medal events across eight sports were contested, including the new discipline of ski mountaineering.
The ceremony celebrated Italian performing arts, from opera to contemporary pop, featuring a dance number with athletes and confetti. Athletes, carrying small national flags, entered the arena to a medley of Italian hits.
A tribute to Italian lyric opera opened the event, with performers and characters from classic operas featured. The Olympic flame was then presented by Italian gold medalists from the 1994 Lillehammer Games before being lit in the center of the stage.
This was IOC President Coventry’s first Games in her role. The closing ceremony was a more intimate affair than the opening, attended by approximately 12,000 spectators compared to the 60,000 at Milan’s San Siro stadium.
The Olympic flag was handed over to France, the host nation for the 2030 Winter Games. The Milan-Cortina model, spanning 22,000 square kilometers, aims to minimize the need for new construction and will influence future Games. The Paralympics will also commence in the Verona Arena on March 6.
The Olympic flames were extinguished in the two co-host cities, Milan and Cortina, with a light show substituting for fireworks in Verona to protect local wildlife.