Milan Cortina Olympics Opening Ceremony
Sergio Mattarella President of Italy, center, his wife Laura Mattarella, left, and Kirsty Coventry President of the IOC attend the Olympic opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026.
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The unprecedented four-site, dual-cauldron Milan Cortina Winter Games have officially been declared open at the conclusion of a ceremony replete with references to Italian icons and culture. This is the most spread-out Olympics in history, with competition venues dotting an area roughly the size of the state of New Jersey. The main hub Friday is in Milan at San Siro soccer stadium. Allowing athletes to participate in the Parade of Nations at the mountain locales created what perhaps was an unintended consequence: Zero competitors from any of the first five countries actually showed up at the main stadium.
