Milan-Cortina Games begin with vibrant opening ceremony

The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games are officially under way after a vibrant opening ceremony split across four locations.

Milan’s iconic San Siro stadium was the primary venue, with elements of the ceremony also taking place in Cortina, Livigno and Predazzo.

Despite concerns over the logistics of a multi-location ceremony, it was an impressive production that went off without a hitch.

Two Olympic cauldrons were lit – one in Milan and the other in Cortina – with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli performing a rousing rendition of Nessun Dorma as the torch entered the San Siro.

That followed a jubilant ending to the athlete’s parade, with the Italy team the last to be brought out to huge cheers in all four locations.

Figure skater Lilah Fear was the Great Britain flagbearer in Milan, with bobsledder Brad Hall given that honour in Cortina.

Italy aside, the warmest welcome was reserved for the Ukrainian athletes, while Team USA were also loudly cheered.

But there were boos when US vice-president JD Vance was shown on the big screen, with negative crowd reactions for the Israel and Georgia teams as well.

Before the parade, creative director Marco Balich’s show was based around the principle of ‘armonia’ – meaning union, connection, agreement – with “a narrative aimed at uniting territories, people and values within a shared vision”.

It featured sections labelled ‘Italian beauty’ and ‘fantasia’, with a tribute to fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who died aged 91 in 2025.

Meanwhile, American singer Mariah Carey – one of the world’s best-selling female artists – was decked out in a sparkling white outfit as she performed a version of Volare.

“We stand ready to make Olympic history again, inspired by the values that unite all of us: excellence, friendship and respect,” said Giovanni Malago, president of the organising committee for Milan-Cortina 2026.

“The co-ordination of so many different bodies in the pursuit of one dream has been a powerful expression of this country’s ability to deliver such a complex project.

“I have never been as proud to be Italian as I am tonight.”

It was left to International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry to declare the Games open.

As the first female IOC president, it is the first time the Olympics have been officially opened by a woman.

“This is why we all love the Games. Because through you, we see the very best of ourselves,” she told the athletes.

“You remind us that we can be brave. That we can be kind. That we can get back up, no matter how hard we fall.

“The spirit of the Olympic Games is about so much more than sport. It is about us – and what makes us human.

“This is the magic of the Olympic Games: inspiring us all to be the best that we can be, together.”

While events such as curling, figure skating and ice hockey have already begun, the first five gold medals of the Games will be won on Saturday.