Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics Begin With Multi-City Opening Ceremony
The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games officially got under way on February 6 night following an ambitious opening ceremony staged across four Italian venues.
Milan’s San Siro stadium served as the centrepiece, while additional segments unfolded simultaneously in Cortina, Livigno and Predazzo. Organisers had faced questions over the complexity of such a format, but the event ran smoothly and delivered a polished spectacle.
Dual cauldrons and a celebratory parade
Two Olympic cauldrons were ignited, one in Milan and another in Cortina, as Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli performed Nessun Dorma while the torch arrived at San Siro. The ceremony culminated with the athletes’ parade, ending on a high note as the Italian team entered last to loud cheers at all four sites.
There were mixed crowd reactions elsewhere. Boos were heard when U.S. vice-president JD Vance appeared on the stadium screen, while teams from Israel and Georgia were also met with negative responses.
‘Armonia’ theme and musical tributes
The artistic programme, directed by Marco Balich, was built around the theme of «armonia», or harmony, reflecting unity and shared values. Segments titled Italian beauty and fantasia featured prominently, including a tribute to fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who died in 2025 at the age of 91.
American singer Mariah Carey, wearing a glittering white outfit, performed a rendition of Volare during the ceremony.
Leaders address athletes as Games declared open
Giovanni Malago, president of the Milan-Cortina 2026 organising committee, said the Games represented a collective national achievement. He praised the coordination required to deliver such a complex project and said he had never felt prouder to be Italian.
International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry formally declared the Games open, marking the first time the Olympics have been opened by a woman. In her address to athletes, she spoke about resilience, kindness and the unifying power of sport, saying the Olympic spirit goes beyond competition.
Although events such as curling, figure skating and ice hockey have already started, the first five gold medals of the Games will be decided on Saturday.
Uzbekistan’s participation
Uzbekistan is represented at the Olympics by two athletes. Short track speed skater Daniil Eybog served as the national flagbearer, carrying the Uzbek flag at San Siro during the parade of nations. Olympic qualification was originally secured by figure skating pair Dmitry Chigirev and Ekaterina Geynish, alpine skier Medet Nazarov in slalom and giant slalom and Eybog in the 500 metres short track.
However, Chigirev was unable to recover from injury in time for the Games. As a result, Uzbekistan will only compete in alpine skiing and short track events.
Kursiv also reports that Snoop Dogg grabbed early attention at the Cortina Curling Stadium on February 6.
From economics and politics to business, technology and culture, Kursiv Uzbekistan brings you key news and in-depth analysis from Uzbekistan and around the world. To stay up to date and get the latest stories in real time, follow our Telegram channel.
