The Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games opened Friday with an unprecedented ceremony staged in two cities – Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, featuring "Armonia", or harmony in English, reported Xinhua.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella declared the Games open at Milan's San Siro Olympic Stadium, following a speech by International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry, who hoped the Games to be "a celebration of what unites us – of everything that makes us human."
"This is the magic of the Olympic Games: inspiring us all to be the best that we can be – together," said the former Olympic swimming champion.
The athletes' parade took place across four locations: Milan, Livigno, Predazzo and Cortina. The expanded format echoed the opening ceremony's theme, emphasizing the connection between territories and people.
The opening ceremony reached its climax when Italian alpine skiing greats Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni jointly lit the cauldron at Milan's Arco della Pace and PyeongChang 2018 gold medalist Sofia Goggia lit the one at Cortina's Piazza Angelo Dibona.
Milan-Cortina 2026 marks Italy's third time hosting the Winter Olympics, following the 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo Games and the 2006 Turin Games, and stands as the most geographically spread-out Winter Olympics in history. Its competition venues are divided into four clusters: the urban hub of Milan, and the mountain venues of Cortina, Valtellina and Val di Fiemme, spanning over 22,000 square kilometers in northern Italy.
A total of around 2,900 athletes from more than 90 countries and regions will compete in 116 events across eight sports and 16 disciplines, with the Games set to run through February 22.
China has fielded its largest-ever delegation for an overseas Winter Olympics, sending 126 athletes to compete in 91 events across 15 disciplines, a lineup highlighted by nine gold medalists from the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
- Winter Games
- Italy
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
