On Friday, February 6, the iconic San Siro Stadium vibrated in unison with the launch of the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games. The Italian host delivered a more conventional and extensive opening ceremony than Paris 2024, while multiplying spectacular moments and moments of grace between the tribute to Giorgio Armani and performances by artists Andrea Bocelli, Mariah Carey, and Sabrina Impacciatore, actress from the series The White Lotus.
Since Friday, the Milan Cortina Olympic fortnight, the 25th edition of the Winter Olympics, has been officially open.
From February 6 to February 22, three transalpine regions (Lombardy, Veneto, and Trentino-Alto Adige) will host certain Winter Olympic disciplines in no fewer than eight host locations.
This multi-site fragmentation—which contrasts sharply with Paris 2024, desired by the organizers in order to offer the Games to as many people as possible—also aims to limit the final bill by optimizing the use of existing infrastructure to organize the various events.
The opening ceremony, watched by more than 2 billion people worldwide, including 60,000 in Milan’s San Siro Stadium—before its upcoming demolition to make way for the Stado Milano—also benefited from this philosophy, with the ceremony taking place simultaneously in Milan, Cortina, Predazzo, and Livigno. This was a first in the history of the Winter Olympics.
For Italy, it was important to compete with the Paris Summer Games, especially since France is set to host the Winter Olympics in 2030 in the Alps. The country also opted for personalized basins and an Olympic village that will be converted into student housing and commercial space once the festivities are over.
A spectacular show
In a more conventional style, with a real parade of athletes, Italy showed that it had lost none of its sense of spectacle, a legacy of the Roman Empire. The opening ceremony attempted to convey, through the theme of “Armonia” (harmony), all of Italy’s creative genius, from fashion to music, design, and even gastronomy, with cuisine having been recognized as part of UNESCO’s world heritage.
In addition to painting, with a painting referring to Leonardo da Vinci, music and opera were of course also featured, with XXL mascots representing Verdi, Puccini, and Rossini.
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