Milano Cortina Winter Olympics Open With Four-Site Ceremony and Two Cauldrons Lit at Once
On the evening of February 6, 2026, the 25th Olympic Winter Games opened at the main venue, Milan's San Siro stadium, with simultaneous ceremonies in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Livigno and Predazzo, the first opening ceremony in Olympic history held across four locations at once. The Games, jointly hosted by Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, run through February 22, with the closing ceremony at the Verona Arena; some competitions had already begun on February 4.
Built around the theme of Armonia, or harmony, the ceremony linked the two host settings of city and mountains. Italian President Sergio Mattarella formally opened the Games, and IOC President Kirsty Coventry presided over her first Olympic Games since taking office. About 2,900 athletes from 92 delegations took part, with the parade of nations held across the four clusters for the first time. Team USA's flag bearers were speed skating Olympic champion Erin Jackson and bobsledder Frank Del Duca.
The artistic program brought together Italian and international performers: Mariah Carey sang Volare in Italian, Laura Pausini performed the Italian national anthem, pianist Lang Lang joined mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli for the Olympic anthem, and tenor Andrea Bocelli sang Nessun Dorma.
The lighting made Olympic history with two cauldrons kindled simultaneously for the first time. At Milan's Arco della Pace, Alpine skiing greats Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni lit the cauldron, while skier Sofia Goggia lit the cauldron in Cortina. Both cauldron designs pay homage to Leonardo da Vinci's knotted motifs, echoing the two host cities.
Related: Alysa Liu Wins Olympic Figure Skating Gold in Milan, Ending a 24-Year U.S. Drought
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Source: International Olympic Committee
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于意大利米兰的圣西罗球场（朱塞佩·梅阿查球场）内景，本届冬奥会开幕式主会场（资料照片）。POAN68 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Inside San Siro stadium (Stadio Giuseppe Meazza) in Milan, Italy, the main venue of the opening ceremony (file photo). Photo by POAN68, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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