Two cauldrons lit as Milan Cortina Winter Olympics officially open

The Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics opened with a multi-site ceremony that ended with two cauldrons being lit — one in Milan and one in Cortina.

The Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics officially opened with a multivenue ceremony staged across four locations in northern Italy. The event included music, cultural tributes and references to Italian icons. President Sergio Mattarella declared the Games open and sparklers followed the declaration. The ceremony concluded with two Olympic cauldrons being lit — one in Milan and one in Cortina — in a finale that involved notable Italian skiers and performers. Key details: - The opening ceremony was staged across four sites to allow athletes to participate near their competition venues. - Italian President Sergio Mattarella formally declared the Games open during the ceremony. - Two cauldrons were lit: former champions Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni lit the Milan cauldron, and Sofia Goggia lit the Cortina cauldron. - The ceremony ran about 3 1/2 hours, roughly an hour longer than scheduled. - The Games are the most geographically spread-out Winter Olympics in history, covering about 8,500 square miles with venues in Milan, Cortina and additional mountain clusters. Summary: The dual-cauldron finale closed the opening ceremony and underscored the Games' multi-site format. Competition runs Feb. 4-22, with first gold medal events beginning Feb. 7 in men's Alpine downhill, and events taking place across Milan, Cortina and other mountain clusters.