The Olympic Rings begin to take shape.
The Milano Cortina Olympic Games have begun
Story & Images by Philip Barker at the San Siro Stadium, Milan
The Milano Cortina Olympic Games have now officially begun.
Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni ignited the cauldron at the Arco della Pace in Milan. The flame was also lit at the Piazza Dibona in Cortina after a spectacular Opening Ceremony.
Twenty years ago, both had been Torchbearers in the stadium at the Torino 2006 Opening Ceremony, but were passed over for the supreme honour.
The 2026 Games were opened by Italian President Sergio Mattarella who had been shown arriving for the Ceremony by boarding one of the famous Milan trams.
The ticket collector just happened to be Valentino Rossi.
It was the first Opening Ceremony for Kirsty Coventry since becoming International Olympic Committee (IOC) President.
“I know what it feels like,” she told the competitors, ”that mix of excitement and nerves. Your whole life of hard work, of early mornings, long days, sacrifices and setbacks, it all comes down to this. I know that feeling, when you realise this is it. You’ve made it.
“You’ll show us what it means to be human. To dream, to overcome, to respect one another. To care for each other.”
The Ceremony had great style and elegance combined with humour.
However there had been a hostile reception from some spectators for the Israeli team when it entered the stadium. When the United States entered, Vice President JD Vance was shown on the big screen acknowledging them. Once again there were boos.
This was despite an appeal for “respect” to all teams by the IOC President.
By a tradition established in 1928, Greece led the parade of athletes, but there were no Greeks walking in at San Siro on what was the 90th anniversary to the day of the 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Games when Greece first sent a competitor to the Winter Games.
The Hellenic Olympic Committee had requested that the entire team parade in Milan, but claimed that this was turned down. Cross-country skier Nefeli Tita carried the Flag in Predazzo, where she was joined by most of her team-mates.
It was also the 90th anniversary of winter participation for Australia.
As the host nation Italy entered later, the music suddenly switched to an up tempo version of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville.
The ceremony had opened with 70 dancers from the Academia Teatro della Scala in a stunning ballet. This was a reminder that La Scala’s prima ballerina, Nicoletta Manni, had brought the Flame into Milan’s Piazza del Duomo the previous night.
Rossini, Verdi and Puccini were each represented by figures with outsize heads an idea which seemed used at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games when Sir Edward Elgar was depicted in very similar fashion.
The Italian flag had been represented by models in the national colours of green, red and white, their costumes designed by Armani.
Italian supermodel Vittoria Ceretti, arrived with the flag just as Carla Bruni had done 20 years ago in Turin.
It was Italian pop singer Laura Pausini who led the performance of her rousing national anthem.
Mariah Carey sang “Volare” a song more formally known as “Nel Blu, dipinto di Blu”, which segued into “Nothing Is Impossible.”
The theme of the ceremony had been “Armonia” or harmony.
South African film star Charlize Theron then appeared to make an appeal for peace just as Yoko Ono had done in 2006. Theron invoked her illustrious countryman Nelson Mandela.
As Andrea Bocelli sang the great aria “Nessun Dorma” from Puccini’s opera Turandot, two legendary footballers appeared. Franco Baresi of Milan and Giuseppe Bergomi of Milan’s rival teams, entered the stadium with the Flame as it began its final journey with other Italian stars to meet Tomba at the Arco della Pace.
The oath was taken rather later in the proceedings than has been the case in recent years.
Curling’s Stefania Constantini and Dominik Fischnaller from luge spoke the oath on behalf of the athletes. The coaches were represented by Elisabetta Biavaschi from skiing and Maurizio Marchetto from speed skating. Raffaella Locatelli, a competitor at Torino 2006 in figure skating, and skiing official Gabriele Toldo spoke the oath on behalf of the judges.
The Olympic Hymn with music by the Corfiot composer Spiros Samaras is usually played as the Flag is raised after the Opening declaration. It was played much later in the Ceremony this time and performed by the children’s choir from La Scala.
Two Flames now burn. There were also two Flames at the Opening Ceremony for Innsbruck 50 years ago. Luge champion Josef Feistmantl and downhill gold medallist Christl Haas each lit a cauldron in the Bergisel Stadium to celebrate the 1976 Games held 12 years after Innsbruck first staged the Winter Games in 1964.
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