The Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics have formally ended following the closing ceremony in northern Italy.
It occurred at Verona Olympic Arena, regardless of not one of the sporting occasions taking place in town, which is 75 miles from Milan.
After starting with a tribute to traditional Italian opera, flagbearers representing the 92 competing nations entered the stadium by means of massive props from Aida and accompanied by a tribute to Italian movie music.
The ‘Drop of Fire’ – the Olympic flame carried in a small glass vessel – was introduced into the traditional enviornment to gentle up the rings earlier than the parade of athletes.
While athletes are supposed to return in all combined collectively, right here they have been nonetheless largely in nationwide teams.
The closing medals from Milan-Cortina 2026 have been awarded in the ladies’s and males’s 50km mass begin cross-country snowboarding occasions, earlier than a tribute to the Games volunteers.
The ceremony completed with performances from widespread Italian musicians Major Lazer and singer-songwriter Achille Lauro.
In her speech to shut the Games, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Kirsty Coventry stated: “You have been incredible – every one of you. Brave. Fearless. Full of heart and passion. You left it all on the snow and ice.
“Two unforgettable weeks, dwelling each second to the fullest. You gave every little thing – and also you shared it with all of us.
“This is the true Olympic spirit: competing, embracing, lifting each other up, whatever the result. You showed us what excellence, respect, and friendship look like in a world that sometimes forgets these values.
“You confirmed us that the Olympic Games are a spot for everybody. A spot the place sport brings us collectively.”
It ended a Games which saw 116 medal events, and historic sporting success for several of the competing nations – including Great Britain.
Team GB won five medals, including three golds, to finish 15th in the table. Britain has never previously won more than one gold at a Games before.
Matt Weston, the male flagbearer, won two golds in skeleton – the men’s event and the team competition with Tabby Stoeker.
The female GB flagbearer was Charlotte Bankes, who won gold in the team snowboard cross with Huw Nightingale; it was the first Olympic event on snow won by British athletes.
Team GB additionally received silver in the boys’s curling, whereas Zoe Atkin claimed bronze in girls’s ski halfpipe on the final day.
Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen took the boys’s big slalom title to register a primary Winter Olympic gold received by a South American nation.
