Athletes from Korea attend the closing ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Verona, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22. AP-Yonhap
MILAN — The 2026 Winter Olympic Games drew to a conclusion Sunday with a celebration of the athletic feats achieved over the past two weeks across northern Italy.
The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics was the first to officially feature the names of two host cities in the title and to have two Olympic cauldrons. The competition itself was even more widespread.
Milan, the financial capital of Italy that hosted all skating events, and Cortina d'Ampezzo, which held curling and some snow events, are about 260 kilometers apart. In between, there were two other clusters of venues, one for alpine skiing and snowboarding, and another for ski jumping and cross-country skiing.
Italy hosted some 2,900 athletes from 92 countries over an area of about 22,000 square kilometers — making this the most spread-out Olympics ever, winter or summer.
Staying true to the theme, the closing ceremony was held in Verona, 140 km east of Milan. Verona did not host any competitions during the Olympics.
A view of the cauldron at the Arco della Pace at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22. AP-Yonhap
The closing ceremony at Verona Olympic Arena was produced under the title "Beauty in Action." It was a tribute to the beauty of the host country and also an homage to the beauty of athletic performances.
Athletes marched into the arena to the tune of classic film soundtracks and Italian pop songs. And the medalists from the final event of this Olympics, the men's and women's 50km class mass start in cross-country skiing, were feted in the victory ceremony in Verona.
The tradition of awarding the final Olympic event during the closing ceremony began at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics.
Source: Korea Times News
