For the first time in history, two different flames were lit in the cities that will share the action of the Winter Games, one in Milan and the other in Cortina D'Ampezzo. The end of the torch relay was the highlight of an opening ceremony that celebrated Italian culture, with nods to the big city, but also to life in Alpine villages. There were boos for US Vice President J.D. Vance and for the Israeli delegation, and cheers for Ukraine.

First modification: 02/07/2026 - 01:46

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Italian President Sergio Mattarella officially opened the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on February 6, during a colorful ceremony that celebrated his country's history, arts and fashion, but also raised political tensions.

Mattarella, 84, spoke at the main event at Milan's San Siro stadium, as part of an unprecedented spectacle that also tied in with celebrations in co-host Cortina d'Ampezzo, more than 400km away in the Dolomites.

US Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were among the crowd at the iconic football stadium and the political controversies were evident in some public reactions.

Vance drew boos from the stadium when an image of him waving the American flag appeared on a big screen.

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The Israeli team's announcement drew some boos in Milan because of the loudness, but there were cheers in Cortina d'Ampezzo, the co-host of the Games that was part of a unique joint opening ceremony. Israel has a team of 10 people in Italy.

The group of five Ukrainian athletes in Milan received loud cheers.

A call for unity

International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry said the Games should bring people together: "Let these Games 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 we can be, together," he added.

American pop music diva Mariah Carey kicked off the party with a unique opening ceremony that combined elements of both hosts, seeking to reflect both urban and mountain life.

Carey performed the 1950s Italian song "Nel blu, dipinto di blu" ("Blue, painted blue") with its famous chorus "Volare" ("Fly") to cheers in the stadium.

A ceremony on several fronts

Mattarella introduced himself to the fans through a recorded video in which he was seen traveling through the city on one of Milan's historic trams.

The early phases also included a tribute to the late Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who established Milan as his base and died last September.

Cortina played a supporting role in the celebrations in a show titled "Armonía", designed for a large global audience both on television and online.

Athletes also paraded in the mountain settings of Livigno and Predazzo, in Games that extend over 22,000 square kilometers.

The ceremony celebrated the diversity of Italian life, from elegant Milan to the small mountain towns in the Alps that host the Games' outdoor events, which run until February 22.

At first there was some confusion about access at Cortina. Loredana Vido, from Padua and owner of a second house in Cortina, was blocked at the start of Corso Italia, the town's main street, and said: "They didn't tell us that everything was going to be closed. They told us that entry was free."

But some in Cortina were glad to have a bit of the action without having to go back and forth to Milan.

"Would I like to be at the full ceremony? Sort of. Am I glad I don't have to spend 10 hours on a bus that day? Yes," said Austin Florian, part of the U.S. skeleton team.

At the outdoor event in Livigno, at the foot of the snowboard and freestyle ski slopes, a small crowd of locals and tourists gathered to watch the main ceremony in Milan on screens, as athletes from the small Alpine town walked through the snow, synchronized with the delegations at San Siro.

The novelty: two cauldrons

For the first time, two Olympic cauldrons, one of the main symbols of the Games, were lit simultaneously and will burn throughout the event: one in the Arco della Pace in Milan and another in Piazza Dibona in Cortina.

Former Olympic champions Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni lit the cauldron in Milan, at the culmination of the opening ceremony at San Siro.

Sofia Goggia, the first Italian Olympic gold medalist in women's downhill, lit up the one in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

The 33-year-old athlete, one of Italy's best medal hopes for the 2026 Games, took the Olympic torch from Gustavo Thoeni, Italy's leading skier of the 1970s.

Goggia, who won his downhill gold at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, is preparing for what could be his last Olympic Games and his first on domestic snow at Cortina d'Ampezzo, a track he has dominated throughout his career.

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