Italian President Mattarella opens the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games

Opening ceremonies in Milan and Cortina

Cortina d'Ampezzo (FIL/06 Feb 2026) The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics are open. After a welcome speech by Kirsty Coventry, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Italian President Sergio Mattarella uttered the decisive words at 10:51 p.m.: “I declare the 25th Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games open.”

Prior to this, athletes from 92 countries entered the San Siro Olympic Stadium in Milan at the same time, while a parade took place on Via del Mercato in Cortina. Smaller celebrations were also held in Predazzo and Livigno. It was the first time in the 130-year history of the Olympic Games that an opening ceremony had taken place in several locations at the same time. This was also reflected in the motto “Armonia” (harmony). It was intended to reflect the decentralized nature of the Games.

The Olympic flame was lit simultaneously in Milan at the Arco della Pace by Debborah Compagnoni and Alberto Tomba and in Cortina d'Ampezzo in Piazza Angelo Dibona in front of the Bassilica dei Santi Filippo e Giacomo by Sophia Goggia, all of whom are alpine skiers. It was 11:26 p.m. One of the last torchbearers was Olympic luge champion Gerda Weißensteiner.

The symbolic act was introduced by tenor Andrea Bocelli, who sang Giacomo Puccini's aria “Nessun dorma.”
After the Olympic flag had been raised, luger Dominik Fischnaller, among others, took the Olympic oath in Cortina.

The first luge competition is already scheduled for Saturday. The men will complete their first two runs at 5:00 p.m. and 6:32 p.m. (local time/CET).
The final runs will start on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. and 6:34 p.m.

A total of 105 athletes will compete in the five events on the new ice track at the Olympic Sliding Center. Among them will be eleven women's doubles teams for the first time.