Milan’s “San Siro” stadium remembers several historical matches, but February 6th was still special – the XXV Winter Olympic Games opened at one of Italy’s main stadiums.
Milan/Cortina 2026 opened with a fragment run of Roman mythology, with the revival of historical figures of famous Italian composers Giuseppe Verdi, Gioachino Rossini, and Giacomo Puccini, all of this was done on the imaginary palette, which in itself highlighted the Italian art school.
American pop star Mariah Carey performed Domenico Modugno and Franco Migliacci’s famous song Nel blu, dipinto di blu, better known as Volare.
The Olympians will represent their countries in Milan, as well as Cortina, Predezo, and Livinho, hosting mainly mountain skiing, curling, bobsleigh, skiing, and skeleton.
Among 92 countries participating, traditionally, Greece, the founder of the Olympic Games, was the first, and ended with the parade of the host Italy. Skaters were Georgian goalkeepers in Milan: Luka Berulava and Diana Davis.
The head of the organizing committee of the games, Giovanni Malago, and the president of the International Olympic Committee, Kirsty Coventry, spoke to the public gathered at the stadium.
The President of the Republic of Italy, Sergio Matarella, announced that the games are open. The Olympic flag was hoisted parallel with the Olympic anthem in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. The Olympic Oath was solemnized.
Olympic fire, one of the main symbols of the Olympic Games, has been engulfed in two places – in the heart of Milan, three-time Olympic champions in mountain skiing, Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni, were set on fire. In Cortina, on the main square of Piazza Dibona, the honor of the main mechiraghdan was also given to mountain skier, Olympic champion Sofia Goja.
Participants of the event:
President of Georgia: Mikheil Kavelashvili
Georgian President’s wife: Tamar Bagrationi
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Maka Bochorishvili
Minister of Sports: Shalva Gogoladze
President of the National Olympic Committee: Leri Khabelov
Ambassador of Emergency and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to Italy: Tamar Liluashvili
SEOC, Other leaders of the Ministry of Sports
