KEY POINTS
- The 2026 Winter Games concluded with a spectacular ceremony titled “Beauty in Action” held inside the 2,000-year-old Verona Arena.
- International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry officially declared the Games closed as the flag was handed over to the 2030 hosts in the French Alps.
- Norway finished the competition atop the medal table with a record-breaking 18 gold medals, followed closely by the United States.
The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics reached a dramatic conclusion on Sunday evening as Italy hosted a historic closing ceremony in Verona. For the first time in Olympic history, the final celebration took place within a UNESCO-listed Roman amphitheater. The event, titled “Beauty in Action,” transformed the ancient marble venue into a boundless stage for music, art, and sport. Over 12,000 spectators joined 1,500 athletes to celebrate the end of two weeks of high-stakes competition.
The production paid a grand tribute to Italy’s cultural legacy, blending the country’s world-renowned operatic tradition with contemporary pop culture. Internationally acclaimed ballet star Roberto Bolle headlined the performance alongside popular singer Achille Lauro and DJ Gabry Ponte. The ceremony featured roughly 2,000 performers who navigated a stage inspired by a single drop of water. This central design element served as a symbolic reminder of the environmental challenges and climate shifts currently reshaping the future of winter sports.
International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry praised the Italian hosts for delivering a “new kind of Winter Games.” The Milano Cortina edition was the most spread-out in history, spanning 22,000 square kilometers across northern Italy. In a unique technical feat, the Olympic cauldrons in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo were extinguished simultaneously via video link. The evening also included the formal handover of the Olympic flag to representatives from the French Alps, the site of the next Winter Games in 2030.
On the field of play, Norway solidified its status as a winter sports superpower by leading the final medal count. The Scandinavian nation secured 18 gold medals, setting a new all-time record for the most golds won by a single country at a Winter Games. The United States finished in second place with 12 gold medals and 33 total podium finishes. Host nation Italy also celebrated its most successful Winter Olympics ever, buoyed by a record-breaking domestic medal haul that energized the local crowds throughout the fortnight.
The ceremony concluded with a vibrant light show that served as a substitute for traditional fireworks, a measure taken to protect local wildlife in the historic city. As the athletes filed out of the arena to the beat of Italian electronic music, the focus shifted toward the upcoming Paralympic Winter Games. Those competitions are scheduled to begin on March 6, with the Verona Arena once again serving as the backdrop for the opening festivities. Italy’s successful delivery of the Games has been hailed as a blueprint for sustainable, multi-hub hosting in the modern era.
