SPECTACULAR OPENING CEREMONY KICKS OFF THE 2026 MILAN-CORTINA OLYMPIC GAMES

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The San Siro Stadium in Milan was the main venue chosen to raise the curtain on the XXV Winter Olympic Games. An event full of excitement and tradition that captivated the more than 70,000 spectators at the venue and millions of people around the world.

Mariah Carey, Andrea Bocelli, Laura Pausini, and the traditional parade of delegations were the highlights of the ceremony, which lasted three hours and 30 minutes.

See photos of this historic event at the following link.Photo Gallery.

Milan, February 6, 2026. With “Harmony” as its main theme, the Opening Ceremony of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics took place on Friday night.

Harmony among peoples, cultures, and religions, celebrating the beauty and fantasy of Italy reflected in an artistic show that featured four parades of athletes in Milan, Cortina, Livigno, and Predazzo.

More than 70,000 people who came to the San Siro Stadium, including Italy’s top government officials and several international guests, enjoyed a spectacular event of lights, music, and history.

As is often the case at these ceremonies, the most eagerly awaited moment was the parade of delegations. One by one, they entered the scene in Milan and the other three locations, with Team USA, of course, standing out as the nation with the most participants in these Games with 232 athletes, surpassing even the hosts, Italy.

Fourteen countries from the American continent took part in the parade: in addition to the United States, Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Uruguay, and Venezuela also participated.

An emotional moment was the entrance of the Olympic flag carried by great world sports figures, including the most decorated Olympic athlete in Brazilian history and Panam Sports ambassador, Rebeca Andrade.

One of the unique features of this opening ceremony was the lighting of the cauldron. For the first time in history, two cauldrons were lit simultaneously, one at the Arch of Peace in Milan and the other in Cortina D’Ampezzo. The individuals chosen for this important moment in Milan were three-time Italian Olympic champions Alberto Tomba and Debora Compagnoli. In Cortina, the mission was carried out by Sofia Goggia, also an Olympic medalist from the host country.

MASSIVE STAGING AND BIG NAMES IN MUSIC IN MILAN

The spectacular opening show included the participation of 1,200 volunteers, 500 musicians, and more than 2,000 people, including artists, technicians, and producers.

Italy is renowned worldwide for its outstanding singers, who were present at this ceremony.

Opera singer Cecilia Bartoli, tenor Andrea Bocelli, and Laura Pausini received the most applause. The latter was responsible for singing the Italian national anthem.

But the most eagerly awaited performance of the night was undoubtedly that of American global music star Mariah Carey, who captivated the entire audience with her rendition of “Volare” at the beginning of the ceremony.

It was a spectacular, historic, mind-blowing ceremony that marked the start of the Winter Olympics, which will be in the spotlight for the next 16 days.

WE INVITE YOU TO VIEW THE PHOTO GALLERY OF THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE MILAN-CORTINA 2026 OLYMPIC GAMES. CLICK HERE.