Winter Olympics closing ceremony celebrates athletes and Italian art in Verona

The Milan Cortina Olympics ended Sunday with a closing ceremonial wrong Verona Arena, an past Roman amphitheater that sits astir mid-distance betwixt the far-flung mountain, vale and metropolis venues that made these the astir spread-out Winter Games successful Olympic history.

The 2½-hour ceremonial celebrated Italian euphony and dance, some classical and contemporary, headlining internationally acclaimed ballet dancer Roberto Bolle on with fashionable Italian vocalist Achille Lauro and DJ Gabry Ponte.

Some 1,500 Olympians, a spot implicit fractional those who competed successful the Games, paraded into the monument built successful the archetypal period for gladiator fights and exotic carnal hunts.

The closing ceremonial of the Winter Games of Milan and Cortina successful the Verona Olympic Arena. Michael Kappeler/picture confederation via Getty Images

They entered en masse down a brace of emblem bearers from each of the 92 participating nations, including biathlete Lisa Vittozzi and speedskater Davide Ghiotto for big Italy, and hockey subordinate Hilary Knight and crystal dancer Evan Bates for the United States – each golden medal winners.

The United States fielded its biggest Winter Olympics squad ever for the 2026 Milano Cortina Games, with 232 athletes competing, and broke the grounds for Team USA's astir golden medals astatine a azygous Winter Games. The U.S. was 1 of lone 2 nations to vie successful each 16 athletics disciplines, on with big Italy, according to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

"These Games showcased the precise champion of Team USA: resilience, unity and a relentless pursuit of excellence," said USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland said successful a statement. "Our athletes delivered a genuinely historical performance, earning a Team USA-record 12 golden medals and creating moments that volition animate the adjacent procreation ... That momentum present carries america guardant arsenic we look up to Los Angeles successful 2028, wherever we're excited to physique connected this bequest and invited the satellite to our location soil." 

Some 12,000 spectators joined the athletes and officials for the closing ceremony. It was overmuch much intimate than the opening ceremony, which starred Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli wrong Milan's San Siro shot stadium, attended by much than 60,000 people.

Violetta, played by Carolina Lopez Moreno, performs during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics closing ceremony. Andreas Rentz / Getty Images

The ceremonial celebrated Italian lyric opera, which has been recognized by the U.N. taste bureau UNESCO arsenic a planetary treasure, but besides wage tribute to modern Italian classics. Both opera and creation are astatine location successful the chromatic amphitheater, which each summertime hosts a fashionable opera festival with lavish productions and the gala creation show titled Roberto Bolle and Friends.

Part of the ceremonial included a somber remembrance of athletes who person died, though the commemoration, filled with butterfly imagery, did not place circumstantial athletes. 

Earlier successful the 2026 Winter Games, the International Olympic Committee kept Ukrainian skeleton jock Vladyslav Heraskevych retired of contention aft helium refused a last-minute plea from the IOC for him not to usage a helmet that honors athletes killed successful Russia's warfare connected his country. The helmet goes against a regularisation astir making governmental statements connected the Olympic tract of play, according to the IOC. 

"No one, particularly me, is disagreeing with the messaging, it's a almighty message, it's a connection of remembrance, of memory," IOC President Kirsty Coventry told reporters astatine the time, according to the Reuters quality agency. The situation was to find a solution for the tract of play."

This was the archetypal Games for Coventry, a two-time Olympic champion successful swimming, who oversaw the ceremonial alongside Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

One of the cardinal moments of the ceremonial is erstwhile the Olympic emblem is handed implicit to the adjacent Winter Games big nation, France, and its emblem is raised adjacent to Italy's and Greece's.

International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry applauds arsenic metallic medallist Heidi Weng of Norway, golden medallist Ebba Andersson of Sweden and bronze medallist Nadja Kaelin of Switzerland observe connected the podium for the women's transverse state 50km wide commencement final. Piero CRUCIATTI /AFP via Getty Images

The Milan Cortina Games spanned an country of 8,500 quadrate mile, from crystal sports successful Milan to biathlon successful Anterselva connected the Austrian border, snowboarding and men's downhill successful Valtellina connected the Swiss border, cross-country skiing successful the Val di Fiemme northbound of Verona and women's downhill, curling and sliding sports successful co-host Cortina d'Ampezzo.

It's a exemplary that volition stay for aboriginal Games, to debar the disbursal of gathering caller facilities. The 2030 Winter Games successful the French Alps volition signifier events successful the Alps and Nice, connected the Mediterranean Sea, portion speedskating volition beryllium held overseas successful a venue to beryllium decided.

The closing ceremonial concluded with the Olympic flames being extinguished astatine the unprecedented 2 cauldrons successful Milan and Cortina, to beryllium viewed via video link. A airy amusement volition substitute fireworks, which are not allowed successful Verona, to support animals from being disturbed.

A full of 116 medal events person been held successful 8 Olympic sports crossed 16 disciplines, including the debut of skis mountaineering this year, implicit the people of 17 days of competition.

The Milan Cortina Paralympics' opening ceremonial volition besides instrumentality spot successful the Verona Arena, connected March 6, and the Games volition tally until March 15.

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