Newsroom
The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games officially got underway last night with an opening ceremony at Milan’s San Siro stadium that blended Italian culture, opera and pop in a show that was heavy on theatrical flair and light on the kind of high-tech spectacle often associated with modern Olympic ceremonies.
The ceremony, which had been kept largely under wraps in the lead-up to the Games, unfolded as a rapid-fire celebration of Italian artistic identity, with references ranging from Roman mythology to fashion and classical music. In keeping with organisers’ promise to avoid excessive “hi-tech and bling”, the evening instead leaned into a distinctly Italian mix of grand opera, kitsch humour and pop nostalgia.
Among the headline performers was Mariah Carey, who delivered a subdued but crowd-pleasing performance of Volare in Italian, before shifting into her own material. While Carey was marketed as a major attraction, much of the musical focus remained on classical and pop-classical acts, including Andrea Bocelli and pianist Lang Lang, reinforcing the ceremony’s emphasis on Italy’s traditional cultural exports.
The opening show also featured large-scale visuals and playful choreography, including giant-headed effigies of famous Italian opera composers dancing to upbeat Italo disco, a segment that drew attention both for its surreal imagery and its deliberate sense of irony.
The athletes’ parade formed the central element of the evening, as teams entered the stadium ahead of competition beginning today. International media noted that the American delegation received a mixed reaction from the crowd, amid wider geopolitical tensions and heightened sensitivities around international relations.
For Cyprus, attention on the United States team carried an additional point of interest. In a message posted earlier this week, the U.S. Embassy in Cyprus congratulated Team USA athletes participating in the Games and highlighted the inclusion of American Cypriot figure skater Emilea Zingas, who is representing the United States alongside her skating partner Vadym Kolesnik.
The embassy’s statement described the Olympics as a celebration of “American excellence, fair competition, and the spirit of international collaboration,” while also extending warm wishes to Cypriot athletes competing under the national flag.
The post linked the Milan-Cortina Games with the broader Olympic timeline leading to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, noting that the world will once again gather in the United States in two years’ time for the next Summer Games.
Meanwhile, Cyprus is participating in the Winter Olympics with a small delegation, continuing a national presence that, while modest compared with larger countries, carries symbolic weight for a Mediterranean island with limited access to snow training facilities. The Games run from February 6 to 22 across venues in northern Italy, including Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo and Livigno.
With the opening ceremony now complete, the focus shifts from spectacle to sport, as Milano Cortina 2026 moves into its first full day of Olympic competition.
With information from The Guardian and @USEmbassyCyprus.
