Livigno (Italy) (AFP) – A decentralized ceremony in four of the venues of this edition, two cauldrons and Mariah Carey singing in Italian: the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games hope to surprise the world at their official opening this Friday (7:00 p.m. GMT).
First modification: 02/05/2026 - 12:21
If Paris revolutionized the Olympic Games ceremonies in 2024 with its parade along the Seine River and using the center of its city as a stage, Milan-Cortina 2026 presents another innovative format, with several geographically distant points being part of the show simultaneously.
In Games officially named after the city of Milan and the emblematic winter resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo, in the Dolomites, the Olympic flame that has been traveling through Italy for weeks will rest, divided in two, in a cauldron located in the Arco della Pace in Milan and in another in the Piazza Dibona in Cortina, both inspired in their design by Leonardo Da Vinci's intertwined knots.
The identity of the last relievers and those in charge of lighting the cauldrons, traditionally one of the best kept secrets, may have been leaked this week: according to the leading Italian sports newspaper, La Gazzetta dello Sport, they will be Alberto Tomba and Debora Compagnoni, two of the most emblematic alpine skiers in the country's history.
- The temple of San Siro -
The heart of the ceremony will be one of the most internationally recognizable venues in Italian sport: the ancient but history-filled Giuseppe Meazza Stadium (or San Siro), the usual home of the AC Milan and Inter Milan football clubs.
These two formations agreed to build a new venue, more in line with their current needs and with an eye on the Euro 2032 that Italy will co-organize with Turkey, so the old San Siro is condemned to demolition but before that a last dance will be allowed, adding to the history of the Olympic Games.
The ceremony will also have as secondary stages three other of the seven competition venues of these Games: Cortina d'Ampezzo, Livigno and Predazzo.
JD Vance and music stars
Among the personalities expected in Milan and invited by the country governed by Giorgia Meloni for this ceremony, the US Vice President JD Vance and the Secretary of State of that country, Marco Rubio, two of President Donald Trump's main collaborators, stand out.
The list of musical performances also features big names for a show that will alternate Italian figures such as Laura Pausini, Andrea Bocelli, Cecilia Bartoli or the rapper Ghali with stars from other countries such as the Chinese pianist Lang Lang and the American singer Mariah Carey.
"Everyone will love it. He will sing a beautiful song in Italian," said the person responsible for designing the show, Marco Balich.
Images of his rehearsal performing at San Siro the classic "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu" by Domenico Modugno, popularly known as "Volare" and winner of the Sanremo Festival in 1958, were already spread on social networks.
Fleeing from controversies
Last month, Balich already advanced the principles that inspire his artistic direction for this event: celebrating the beauty and "fantasy" of Italy, as well as "the harmony of cultures, religions and peoples, something that is more necessary than ever."
At 63 years old, Balich has specialized in the creative direction of events and has worked on numerous Olympic ceremonies so far this century, leaving his mark especially in Turin 2006 (winter) and Rio 2016 (summer).
The Paris 2024 ceremony, conceived by artistic director Thomas Jolly, as a sign of an inclusive France, generated controversy, especially for one of the paintings, interpreted by drag-queens and criticized by various conservative religious and political authorities for interpreting it as a reference to the Last Supper of Jesus Christ.
"A ceremony like this is a unique platform to convey good messages, not divisive messages," Balich said.
"Some countries prefer to transmit different messages. I try to celebrate the values of humanity. I see the glass half full, I am an optimist by nature," he noted.
© 2026 AFP
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