Protests and pageantry collide at Verona Arena as Winter Games close
The 2026 Winter Olympics will draw to a close at the verona arena after 16 days of competition, with organisers staging a ceremony that organisers say will celebrate Italian music, art and sport at the ancient amphitheatre.
Ceremony timing, broadcast and Team GB moments
The much-anticipated closing ceremony gets under way at 7. 30 p. m. GMT, with build-up from 7 p. m., and will be broadcast live on iPlayer and Two; one source said the ceremony started at 8: 30 p. m. (1930 GMT), a timing discrepancy noted in accounts of the evening. Zoe Atkin's capture of a bronze medal earlier on Sunday ensured these Games have been the most successful in Team GB's history, and attention has already been drawn to the 2030 Games.
Matt Weston and Charlotte Bankes have been selected as Team GB's flagbearers. Weston won two golds at the Games, first in the men's skeleton and then in the mixed team event alongside Tabby Stoecker; he described being chosen as flagbearer as "a massive, massive honour" and said he was proud to represent the country at the Closing Ceremony and to do so at such an iconic venue. Bankes was selected after competing in her fourth Olympic Games; she and Huw Nightingale won Team GB's first ever Winter Olympic gold on snow in the mixed snowboard cross. Bankes said being asked to carry the flag was "a dream come true" and called it a moment for the entire snowboard cross team.
Verona Olympic Arena provides ancient backdrop
The ceremony will be staged in Verona at the Verona Olympic Arena, a Roman amphitheatre built in 30 AD and described as Italy's third-largest Roman amphitheatre; it was originally built to host gladiator battles. The venue is about a two-hour drive from Milan and three hours from Cortina d'Ampezzo, and it is also set to host the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games opening ceremony in March.
Hundreds march in Verona hours before the closing ceremony
VERONA, Italy, Feb 22 — Hundreds of people marched through the streets of Verona a few hours before the Olympics closing ceremony in a rally called "Olympics? No thanks" to protest housing costs and environmental concerns linked to the Winter Games. The march, organised by university groups and associations, accused the event of disrupting forests, pouring concrete onto fragile land and deepening social inequality.
Giannina Dal Bosco, a 76-year-old activist, said, "We are here to defend our territory from speculation... and from the impossible cost of attending events. " Protesters marched for around two hours outside the security perimeter, from the 16th‑century Porta Palio to the 19th‑century Arsenal Square, and briefly stopped at the point closest to the red zone, unsuccessfully asking to be allowed inside. Activists painted the words "FIVE CIRCLES, A THOUSAND DEBTS" in large letters on the road. Several protesters wore keffiyeh scarves and waved Palestinian flags.
Ticket prices for the ceremony ranged from 950 euros to a top level of 2, 900 euros. Francesca, 34, who travelled from Vicenza, about 60 km (40 miles) away, said the landscape had been "disfigured" by new Olympic structures and criticised new facilities, saying, "They built concrete monstrosities like the bobsleigh track, which will serve no purpose. Public money has been wasted that could have been used for hydrogeological safety and housing plans. " Verona’s mayor Damiano Tommasi said high‑profile events always carried the risk of people seeking visibility and trying to exploit the moment, and that it was appropriate to deploy a heightened level of security. A much larger demonstration drawing nearly 10, 000 people took place in Milan on the first day of the Games and later turned violent.
Music, art and a theme called "Beauty in Action"
Organisers have said the finale will "weave together" Italian music, art and sport to "celebrate unity and the enduring bonds between athletes and nations, " with the ceremony built around the theme "Beauty in Action. " The programme is expected to feature the great and the good of Italian cultural life as part of the festivities.
Final notes before the next event
The verona arena closing ceremony follows two weeks of competition that included a range of standout moments — from surprising champions in figure skating to records in hockey and dramatic medal finishes. Among other highlights mentioned at the Games, one athlete secured a U. S. women's hockey record for most career goals in the Olympics, an ice dancer named Bates strengthened his legacy with partner Madison Chock, and Alysa Liu emerged as a standout figure in Olympic figure skating. Basketball and hockey luminaries—including Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul‑Jabbar and James Worthy—attended Riley's statue ceremony, and Canada's Connor McDavid was honoured as the best men's hockey player at these Games despite not winning gold.
The next confirmed milestone at the venue is the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games opening ceremony in March.
