Photo: Chen Tao/GT

Photo: Chen Tao/GT

Photo: Chen Tao/GT

The opening ceremony of Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games was held in Milan, Italy, on Friday local time. The 2026 Winter Olympics, the most geographically widespread Winter Games, feature 8 major sports, 16 disciplines, and 116 events. Riding on the legacy of the home Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022, the Chinese delegation fielded 126 athletes to compete in 7 major sports, 15 disciplines, and 91 events. 

Chinese speed skater Ning Zhongyan and short-track speed skater Zhang Chutong bore the Chinese national flag as they led the Chinese delegation in the parade at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics. Striding in their blue-and-white uniforms at Milan's iconic San Siro, the Chinese delegation—whose entrance onto the stage received wide applause—marked the country’s largest delegation ever at an overseas Winter Olympics. Chinese State Councilor Shen Yiqin attended the opening ceremony in Milan.

Athletes and officials also paraded in a ceremony in snow-covered Cortina d'Ampezzo, the resort some 400 kilometers from Milan that is hosting alpine skiing events. The parade also took place in Livigno and Predazzo, two towns in northern Italy that are hosting Olympic events.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella declared the Milan–Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games open. Two cauldrons were lit simultaneously, one at Milan's Arch of Peace and another in Cortina.

"So let these Games be a celebration of what unites us, of everything that makes us human," International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry said in her address at the opening ceremony.

China began participating in the Winter Olympics in 1980, winning its first gold medal in 2002 when Yang Yang claimed the women's short-track speed skating title.

Photo: Chen Tao/GT

Chinese pianist Lang Lang provided musical accompaniment during the raising of the Olympic flag. 

Organizers also took to the stage to call for peace with a dove release, amid escalating global turmoil. 

The San Siro show highlighted Italy’s rich cultural heritage, including opera and fashion design. 

The Milan-Cortina 2026 Games mark the third time Italy has hosted the Winter Olympics, following Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1956 and Turin in 2006.

Photo: Chen Tao/GT

Photo: Chen Tao/GT