The 2026 Winter Olympic Games came to an end with a closing ceremony inside the historic Arena di Verona, marking the conclusion of more than two weeks of competition across northern Italy.
The ceremony lasted about two and a half hours. The programme, titled Beauty in Action, blended sport with Italian music, opera and dance traditions, featuring performances by internationally known ballet dancer Roberto Bolle, singer Achille Lauro and DJ Gabry Ponte.
The event was held inside the historic Arena di Verona, a first-century Roman amphitheatre originally built for gladiator contests and public spectacles. Today, the UNESCO-listed site is used for major cultural and cultural performances, including summer opera festivals.
Around 1,500 athletes took part in the parade of nations, entering behind flag bearers representing 92 participating countries. Host nation representatives included biathlete Lisa Vittozzi and speed skater Davide Ghiotto, while gold medallists such as United States hockey player Hilary Knight and ice dancer Evan Bates also carried national flags.
The United States fielded its largest Winter Olympic delegation ever, with 232 athletes competing across all 16 sports disciplines alongside host Italy. The team set a national record by winning 12 gold medals at a single Winter Games.
U.S. Olympic officials said the result reflected long-term investment in winter sports, teamwork and competitive resilience.
More than 12,000 spectators attended the closing ceremony. The number was smaller than the opening ceremony inside Milan’s San Siro Stadium, which attracted more than 60,000 people and featured international music stars.
The ceremony also included a remembrance segment for athletes who have died, using butterfly imagery as a symbolic tribute, though no individuals were specifically named.
Earlier in the Games, Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych was removed from competition after refusing a request from the International Olympic Committee to remove a helmet design commemorating athletes killed in the war in Ukraine, citing rules against political messages on competition equipment. IOC President Kirsty Coventry later said the organisation respected the remembrance message but had to enforce regulations governing the field of play.
The closing ceremony was jointly overseen by Coventry and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, marking Coventry’s first Olympic Games as IOC president.
A central moment of the ceremony was the Olympic flag handover to representatives of the French Alps 2030 Winter Olympics, the next host of the Games. The French national flag was raised during the ceremony as the national anthem was played, symbolising the transition of Olympic hosting responsibility.
The Milano-Cortina Games were staged across a vast alpine and urban region covering roughly 8,500 square miles, ranging from Milan’s ice sport venues to biathlon competitions in Anterselva near the Austrian border. Additional events were held in Valtellina near the Swiss border and the Val di Fiemme region north of Verona.
Organisers said the multi-location model helped limit construction costs and could influence the design of future Olympic Games.
A total of 116 medal events were contested across eight sports and 16 disciplines, including the Olympic debut of ski mountaineering.
The 2026 Paralympic Winter Games are scheduled to open in Verona on 6 March 2026 and run until 15 March 2026.
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Hungary has said it will block the European Union’s latest sanctions package against Russia unless oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline are restored, deepening a dispute with Brussels and Kyiv over energy security.
The United Kingdom Defence Secretary John Healey has said he hopes to be the minister who oversees the deployment of British troops to Ukraine, arguing that such a move would signal the end of Russia’s war.
The United States and Iran will hold a new round of nuclear negotiations in Geneva on Thursday as part of renewed diplomatic efforts to reach a potential agreement, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi announced on Sunday.
Mexican authorities confirmed on Sunday that drug cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho” and head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was killed during a military operation in the western state of Jalisco.
A seven-month-old Japanese macaque has drawn international attention after forming an unusual bond with a stuffed orangutan toy after being rejected by its mother.
Divers have recovered the bodies of seven Chinese tourists and a Russian driver after their minibus broke through the ice of on Lake Baikal in Russia, authorities said.
UK politicians have renewed calls for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, to be removed from the line of succession following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office and revelations over his links to convicted U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
President Donald Trump said on Saturday (21 February) that he will raise temporary tariffs on nearly all U.S. imports from 10% to 15%, the maximum allowed under the law, after the Supreme Court struck down his previous tariff program.
Pakistan said it carried out cross-border strikes on militant targets inside Afghanistan after blaming a series of recent suicide bombings, including attacks during the holy month of Ramadan, on fighters it said were operating from Afghan territory.
Hungary has said it will block the European Union’s latest sanctions package against Russia unless oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline are restored, deepening a dispute with Brussels and Kyiv over energy security.
The United Kingdom Defence Secretary John Healey has said he hopes to be the minister who oversees the deployment of British troops to Ukraine, arguing that such a move would signal the end of Russia’s war.
The United States and Iran will hold a new round of nuclear negotiations in Geneva on Thursday as part of renewed diplomatic efforts to reach a potential agreement, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi announced on Sunday.
Mexican authorities confirmed on Sunday that drug cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho” and head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was killed during a military operation in the western state of Jalisco.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he plans to send a hospital ship to Greenland with Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, drawing a quick rejection from Greenland’s prime minister.
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