Milan: The 2026 Winter Olympic Games began with an unprecedented opening ceremony held simultaneously in multiple locations across northern Italy, necessitated by the geographic spread of the competition. With a grand celebration of Italy's culture, creativity, and a tribute to peace and dialogue, the Milan-Cortina Winter Games welcomed approximately 2,900 athletes from 92 countries. The event spans an area of about 22,000 square kilometers, marking it as the most extensive Olympics ever, whether winter or summer.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Games, which are the first Winter Olympics in Italy in two decades, bear the name of two main host cities: Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, located roughly 400 kilometers apart. Further, there are two other clusters of venues dedicated to alpine skiing, snowboarding, ski jumping, and cross-country skiing. Milan, known as Italy's financial hub, will host all skating events and the men's and women's hockey tournaments. The Milano San Siro Olympic Stadium, home to renowned Italian football clubs AC Milan and Inter Milan, hosted the main ceremony under the theme of harmony.
In addition to Milan, three other locations-Cortina d'Ampezzo, Livigno in the Alps, and Predazzo in the northern province of Trento-hosted athletes competing in various skiing, snowboarding, curling, and sliding events for their own ceremonies. To accommodate the widespread nature of the Games, some countries opted to have separate flag bearers in different spots during the Parade of Nations, allowing them to represent their countries without the need to travel vast distances to Milan.
For the first time, the Winter Olympics will feature two Olympic cauldrons, located at the iconic Arco della Pace, outside Milano San Siro Olympic Stadium, and in Piazza Angelo Dibona in Cortina d'Ampezzo. The organizing committee expressed that this widespread edition represents "a model that represents the future of the Winter Olympics," aiming to utilize as many existing venues as possible while leveraging the sporting tradition and expertise of the territories involved in the Games' organization.
The opening ceremony also paid homage to a trio of Italian opera maestros-Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, and Gioachino Rossini-and featured a performance by tenor Andrea Bocelli. A tribute was also made to the late fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who had designed uniforms for Italian Olympians for decades. The cauldrons' design honors Leonardo da Vinci and his "Knots," symbolizing the harmony between nature, human ingenuity, and technical expertise.
South Korea will participate with 71 athletes competing in six sports, aiming to secure at least three gold medals, surpassing their tally from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Figure skater Cha Jun-hwan and speed skater Park Ji-woo served as South Korea's flag bearers in Milan, with the country entering the stadium as the 22nd nation, following the Italian alphabet. The Korean Sport and Olympic Committee reported participation by 35 athletes and 15 officials at the ceremonies, including 15 athletes and six officials based in Milan.
In keeping with tradition, Greece, the birthplace of the modern Olympics, was the first to march in, while host country Italy concluded the parade.