Olympic flame of the Milano Cortina 2026 Games extinguished

Verona (FIL/22 Feb 2026) The 2026 Olympic Winter Games are history. At 10:43 p.m., the two Olympic flames in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo were extinguished simultaneously. The atmospheric and colorful celebration in the Arena di Verona, which combined music, art, and sporting spirit, was intended to celebrate the unity and togetherness of the athletes and nations that shaped these Winter Games.

Luge athletes from two nations carried their national flags as they entered the historic amphitheater. Veronica Ravenna for Argentina and Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt for Germany. For Ravenna, it is a belated gift for her 28th birthday, which she celebrated on Thursday in Venice.

The Wendl/Arlt duo won bronze in the race of the doubles teams and gold in the team relay at the Olympic Sliding Center in Cortina. This makes them the most successful Olympic lugers of all time. “It was a lifelong goal of ours to lead the German team as flag bearers,” said Tobias Wendl, “and the fact that we can now fulfill this goal at the end of our Olympic careers is at least as valuable as winning the Olympic gold medal here.” His teammate added: “We didn't think about how we would carry the flag together beforehand; it happened spontaneously and worked out great.”

Athletes from two nations won gold in the five luge events at the Olympic Sliding Center. Germany won with Julia Taubitz and Max Langenhan in the individual competitions and in the team relay, while Italy triumphed in the doubles competitions with Andrea Vötter and Marion Oberhofer as well as Emanuel Rieder and Simon Kainzwaldner. However, the podium was dominated by a colorful variety of athletes from different nations.

Latvia (Elina Bota), Austria (Jonas Müller, Selina Egle/Lara Kipp, Thomas Steu/Wolfgang Kindl), and the USA (Ashley Farquharson) secured Olympic medals in Cortina. The other medals went to Germany (Dajana Eitberger/Magdalena Matschina, Tobias Wendl/Tobias Arlt) and Italy (Dominik Fischnaller).

During the ceremony, the Olympic flag was handed over to the hosts of the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps (February 1 to 17, 2030). The luge competitions will take place in the Albertville 1992 ice track in La Plagne.

Photos: Tom Weller / Fotoagentur VOIGT

Watch the Highlights of the Luge Competitions during the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026:
https://www.olympics.com/en/video/luge-highlights-olympic-winter-games-milano-cortina-2026?widget=video