Italian President Sergio Mattarella declared the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games open on Friday.
For the first time, the Winter Olympics opening ceremony is staged in two cities – Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo – while the athletes’ parade takes place across four locations: Milan, Livigno, Predazzo and Cortina. The expanded format echoes the opening ceremony’s theme, « Armonia, » or harmony in English, emphasizing connection between territories and people.
Milan-Cortina 2026 marks the third time that Italy has hosted the Winter Olympics, following Cortina d’Ampezzo in 1956 and Turin in 2006. ■
by Xinhua
