2026 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony: "Beauty in Action" Brings Milano Cortina to a Historic Close
The 2026 Winter Olympics closing ceremony has officially brought the XXV Olympic Winter Games to an end. Sunday night, February 22, the ancient Verona Arena — a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating back 2,000 years — hosted a spectacular send-off under the theme "Beauty in Action," weaving together Italian opera, dance, and live music before the Olympic flame was extinguished and the flag passed to France.
Where & When: The Closing Ceremony 2026
A spectacular closing ceremony at the Verona Olympic Arena on Sunday (February 22) brought the XXV Olympic Winter Games to an evocative conclusion, weaving together music, art, and the pure spirit of sport under the title "Beauty in Action." Set inside one of Italy's most iconic settings — a UNESCO-listed Roman amphitheatre dating to the 1st century AD — the finale celebrated unity and the enduring bonds forged between athletes and nations after more than two weeks of competition across northern Italy.
The Show: Highlights & Performances
In the opening scenes, viewers were taken backstage of an opera with Italian music, including Verdi's La Traviata, as the soundtrack. The ancient Arena di Verona hosted a feast of opera, cinema, dance, and music — both classical and modern — with a techno twist.
The closing ceremony featured ballet star Roberto Bolle, pop icon Achille Lauro, and DJ Gabry Ponte. A highlight was the simultaneous extinguishing of the twin cauldrons in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo — a first in Winter Olympics history.
For the grand finale, Major Lazer took the stage with special guests DJ Snake, MØ, Nyla, and Alfa, with Verona-born Achille Lauro closing the festival atmosphere with a powerful live performance.
Production Scale
| Stat | Detail |
|---|---|
| Performers | ~2,000 singers, musicians, dancers |
| Stage area | 6,334 sq. metres |
| LED surfaces | 1,500 sq. metres |
| Lighting fixtures | 440 |
| Production staff | 800 creative + 400 technical |
US Flagbearers: Hilary Knight & Evan Bates
Hilary Knight and Evan Bates were named as the U.S. flagbearers for the closing ceremony. Knight helped lead the U.S. women's hockey team to a gold medal, setting a record as the all-time leading scorer in U.S. history. Bates and his figure skating partner and wife Madison Chock helped USA win gold in the team event and silver in ice dance.
Olympic Flag Handover: French Alps 2030
The Olympic flag was presented by the mayors of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo to IOC President Kirsty Coventry, who in turn handed the flag to the next host of the Winter Olympic Games — the French Alps 2030 — symbolizing the passing of the baton.
French mezzo-soprano Marine Chagnon performed a spine-tingling rendition of "La Marseillaise," conducted by Thomas Roussel, while the French flag slowly rose into the night sky. Musicians, choir members, and athletes then emerged out of the darkness carrying lights.
IOC President's Closing Words
IOC President Kirsty Coventry declared: "Dear friends, I now declare the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games closed. In accordance with tradition, I call upon the youth of the world, and all of you here tonight, to assemble four years from now in the French Alps, to celebrate with all of us the 26th Olympic Winter Games. See you all in 2030."
Final Medal Table Highlights
Norway topped the final medal table for the third straight Winter Olympics with 18 gold medals, while Team USA delivered a record-breaking 12-gold performance. Three nations made their historic Winter Olympic debut at Milano Cortina 2026: Benin, Guinea-Bissau, and the United Arab Emirates. Ski Mountaineering also made its Olympic debut.
The next stop: French Alps 2030, followed by the Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane, Australia in 2032.
