Olympic Closing Ceremony in Verona Seals Milan Cortina Games, Hands Flag to France
The Olympic Closing Ceremony in Verona brought the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Games to an end, extinguishing the twin flames of co-host cities Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo inside the ancient Verona Arena. The event matters now because the Games closed after 17 days of competition and formally passed the Olympic flag to France as planning for the 2030 Winter Games gets under way.
Verona Arena hosts Beauty in Action at the Olympic Closing Ceremony
The 2½-hour spectacle at the Verona Arena carried the theme "Beauty in Action" and opened with a whimsical tribute to Italian lyric opera. Opera characters including Madama Butterfly in bright pink and green and Aida in golden tiers were unpacked from mirrored crates while 17th-century musicians played "Libiamo ne' lieti calici" from "La Traviata. " Rigoletto led the characters out into the piazza, where they mixed with athletes and flag bearers, some of whom filmed the scene on their phones.
Ballet dancer Roberto Bolle made his first-ever aerial performance inside a blazing ring meant to represent the sun, lowered to a stage designed as a Venetian lagoon with gondolas and dancing to a haunting song by Joan Thiele. DJ Gabry Ponte energized roughly 1, 500 athletes, who were on their feet dancing as color confetti exploded on stage. Italian performer Achille Lauro closed the program with the song "Incoscienti Giovani. " The Olympic flame, encased in a Venetian glass vessel, was carried into the Arena by Italian gold medalists from the 1994 Lillehammer Games.
Handover to France and plans for the 2030 Winter Games
The Olympic flag was officially handed from Milan Cortina to the French Alps in a formal handover during the ceremony. France will host the next Winter Games, which are planned to follow the same spread-out model: events in the Alps and in Nice on the Mediterranean Sea, with speedskating to be held either in Italy or the Netherlands. Edgar Grospiron, president of the organizing committee for the 2030 French Alps Winter Olympics, said at a news conference that there is little time and little money because of financial constraints, but that the committee will follow the recommendations and the choices that will be made by the International Olympic Committee.
Italy’s record haul: 30 medals and a Games touted as the most spread-out ever
The Milan Cortina Games staged 116 medal events across eight Olympic sports and 16 disciplines, including the debut of ski mountaineering, over 17 days. Host Italy achieved its highest Winter Olympic tally ever with 30 medals—10 gold, six silver and 14 bronze—surpassing its previous record of 20 set at Lillehammer in 1994. Giovanni Malagò, president of the Milan Cortina Foundation, told Italian athletes wearing headbands emblazoned with "Italia" that their performances united Italians and played a fundamental role in the success of the Games.
Team USA, Klæbo and other competitive takeaways
Team USA walked into the closing ceremony wearing Ralph Lauren uniforms inspired by vintage ski racing kits and featuring a sporty, patriotic puffer jacket; the country finished the Games with 33 medals. Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo became the most decorated gold medalist in a single Winter Olympics with six wins at Milan Cortina. Klæbo, who served as Norway's flag bearer in the closing ceremony, said he had been iffy about competing in the 50-kilometer classic because of a sore throat but decided to give it his all; he won every race he started in these Games and described himself as "super satisfied" but "super tired. " P. K. Subban discussed the impact of Sidney Crosby's absence after Canada's gold medal loss to Team USA.
Paralympics set to begin March 6 with accessibility investments
The Verona Arena will transform again on March 6 for the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, which carry the theme "Life in Motion. " That theme is described as a tribute to life as change and transformation, inspired by the language of art and its ability to interpret contemporary reality; it is presented as an approach that redefines the concept of disability through a new harmony between people and environment. Organizers invested 20 million euros to enhance accessibility throughout Verona to ensure an inclusive experience for all.
Kirsty Coventry, president of the International Olympic Committee, told local organizers they "delivered a new kind of winter Games and you set a new, very high standard for the future. " What makes this notable is the combination of record national performances, a highly staged cultural send-off, and a formal handover to a host preparing to stage a geographically dispersed Winter Games under tight time and financial constraints.
Mike Tirico looked ahead to the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games, calling them set to be the biggest Summer Olympics ever. With the Olympic Closing Ceremony complete and the Paralympics imminent, attention now shifts to execution of the next Games and the choices that will shape 2030.
