subscribers. Become an Insider
and start reading now.
Have an account? .
- The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics officially began with the opening ceremony on Friday.
- The performances highlighted Italy’s legacy of music, fashion, arts, and culture.
- Team USA’s opening ceremony outfits, designed by Ralph Lauren, featured patriotic touches.
Athletes and spectators filled Milan’s San Siro Stadium to kick off the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on Friday.
Parts of the opening ceremony also took place across three other sites in Cortina, Predazzo, and Livigno, representing how Olympic events will be held across Italian regions.
The ceremony’s performances featured nods to Italian history and culture, and other countries added patriotic details to their opening ceremony uniforms.
Here are some details you may have missed.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
In the opening dance, two dancers dressed as angels evoked “Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss,” a sculpture by Italian artist Antonio Canova.
WANG Zhao/AFP via Getty Images
Dancers dressed as musical notes took over the stage in a tribute to Italian opera composers Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, and Gioachino Rossini.
Maja Hitij/Getty Images
Colorful costumes represented numerous aspects of Italian arts, culture, cuisine, and architecture in a vibrant crescendo.
Elsa/Getty Images
Mariah Carey sang a mashup of the Italian song “Volare” with her hit “Nothing Is Impossible.”
Elsa/Getty Images
Models walked into the stadium wearing Giorgio Armani suits in the colors of the Italian flag.
Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images
Aerialists performed between two rings representing the city of Milan and the mountains of Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
The two rings eventually fused with others to form the iconic five-ring symbol of the Olympics.
WANG Zhao / AFP
During the Parade of Nations, flagbearers from each country carried signs designed to look like blocks of ice.
Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Team Brazil’s outfits, designed by Moncler, included shorts made of the same material as their puffy coats.
Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
Designer Stella Jean created bold uniforms for Haiti’s Olympic team inspired by the art of Edouard Duval Carrié.
Maddie Meyer/Getty Images