Italian President Mattarella declares Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics open

MILAN, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Italian President Sergio Mattarella declared the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games open on Friday.

For the first time, the Winter Olympics opening ceremony is staged in two cities - Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo - while the athletes' parade takes place across four locations: Milan, Livigno, Predazzo and Cortina. The expanded format echoes the opening ceremony's theme, "Armonia," or harmony in English, emphasizing connection between territories and people.

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