Team Canada at the Milano Cortina 2026 Closing Ceremony
The curtain falls on the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games after 16 days of heart-pounding action and inspiring performances.
READ: Milano Cortina 2026 officially begins with spectacular and unique Opening Ceremony
Flag bearers Valérie Maltais and Steven Dubois proudly carried the Canadian flag into the historic Arena di Verona during a spectacular Closing Ceremony.
READ: Maltais and Dubois to carry Canada’s flag at Milano Cortina 2026 Closing Ceremony
The celebration took place in Verona, ideally situated between the co-host cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. This marks the first time an Olympic Closing Ceremony has been held at a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Under the direction of Alfredo Accatino, the ceremony unfolded as a rich tapestry of music, art, and storytelling, titled “Beauty in Action.” It celebrated the creativity, ingenuity, and passion that define Italy, blending sport, technology, and emotion to showcase not only athletic excellence, but also the nation’s cultural identity.
Time for the show
The first scene began with a tribute to Italian opera. A single lumière illuminated the chandeliers before the camera descended into the area’s underground “devil’s labyrinth,” leading into a film sequence inspired by Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata, featuring appearances from many Italian celebrities, and Juliet on her famous balcony.
A massive chandelier then rose onto the main stage while a flustered stage manager struggled to control the chaos. Large wooden crates revealed iconic opera characters, including Rigoletto, Aida, Figaro, Madama Butterfly, Alfredo and Violetta.
The “Faces of Italy” segment introduced portraits of Italians spanning many generations by the renowned photographer Marco Delogu.
It was then time for the presentation of the Italian flag and the singing of the host nation’s national anthem. The Choir of the Fondazione Arena di Verona performed the national anthem from the Teatro Filarmonico, the second venue for this ceremony, together with jazz trumpeter Paolo Fresu.
After a 12,000 km journey, the Olympic flame arrived and lit the Olympic rings with the “drop of fire,” setting the stage for the parade of flag bearers and athletes, accompanied by performances from Davide Shorty and Margherita Vicario with Calibro 35.
Team Canada, met with cheers and applause from the crowd, took a lap around the arena before finding their seats in the stands.
READ: By the Numbers: Team Canada’s success at Milano Cortina 2026
Next, an acrobatic tribute, “The Beauty of the Challenge,” highlighted athletes’ perseverance, pushing through the last exhausted moments of their events.
A performance by DJ Gabry Ponte honoured the Games’ volunteers, who joined on stage to form the “26” logo, in a lively, flash mob-style display. The ceremony then moved to the official moment of remembrance, a piece of Olympic protocol that began at Rio 2016.
The program also paid tribute to the planet, with Italian dancer étoile Roberto Bolle performing an aerial sequence celebrating water and sunlight, described by organizers as one of the most complex scenes of the entire ceremony.
One of the time-honoured traditions of the Closing Ceremony was the passing of the Olympic flag to the next host of the Winter Games. The cauldrons in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo were extinguished before the Olympic flag was lowered and formally passed to France, host of the French Alps 2030 Olympic Winter Games.
France was then honored with a “new dawn” segment, featuring a reimagined La Marseillaise, the French national anthem. To close, the ceremony came full circle back to opera, with Rigoletto turning the lights back on, figuratively, for a final concert performance. Italian singer-songwriter Achille Lauro closed out the ceremony with a performance of his hit song Incoscienti Giovani.
The Verona Arena, built around 30 A.D., remains one of the best-preserved ancient structures in Europe and the third largest after the Colosseum and the Amphitheatre of Capua. Originally seating about 30,000 spectators, much of the outer ring was damaged by an earthquake in 1117. Today, it seats roughly 15,000 spectators.
The Verona Arena will also serve as the venue for the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympics on March 6.
