admin 
MILAN — The 2026 Winter Olympics are wrapping up today with the closing ceremony at Verona Olympic Arena.
Rachel G BowersCasey L. MooreUSA TODAY
Updated Feb. 22, 2026, 9:58 p.m. ET
Arrivederci, Milano Cortina Games
The opera characters return one last time. Rigoletto knows his work is done, and he can returnto rest in the depths of the arena, where the costumes and scenery from hundreds of shows are crammed. With a wave, he disappears into the “magic box” where he rests, awaiting a new and extraordinary adventure.
And that will put a bow on the closing ceremony.
French Alps, you’re up
Kirsty Coventry, President of the International Olympic Committee, officially closes the book on these Milano Cortina Games. And the French Alps are officially on the clock.
And the closing ceremony party kicks up a notch with Major Lazer, led by Diplo, performs. Along with MØ, Nyla and Alfa.
Olympic flag handover ceremony
The mayors of Milano and Cortina d’Ampezzo present the Olympic Flag to the President of theInternational Olympic Committee, who then hands off to the hosts of the next WinterGames, French Alps.
The French flag is raised by the Italian Air Force’s Guard of Honour.
Where are the 2030 Winter Olympics?
The next Winter Games will be held in the French Alps, involving the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions. The four main clusters that will be used will be Nice, Savoie, Haute-Savoie and Briançon. The 2030 Winter Olympics are scheduled for Feb. 1-17, 2026.
What is ‘Il Mondo’?
The song playing during the “Water Cycle” portion of the closing ceremony is “Il Mondo.” The song was released in 1965 and performed by Jimmy Fontana and arranged by Ennio Morricone.
The song has become a part of popular culture, appearing in the soundtracks of many films. It isone of the most well-known Italian songs internationally, ranking third on the list of the 250 best Italian songs.
Final Olympic medals awarded
The tradition of awarding the final Olympic event during the closing ceremony was first introduced at the 2004 Athens Games, following the victory of Italian athlete Stefano Baldini in the men’s marathon.
At the Milano Cortina Games, it is the women’s and men’s 50 km classic mass start cross-country skiing. Sweden’s Ebba Andersson won the women’s race, while record-breaking Norwegian Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won the men’s race.
Verona Arena
The closing ceremony for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games are being held at the iconic Verona Olympic Arena, which is located in Verona, Italy — roughly two hours away from Milan and roughly three hours from Cortina d’Ampezzo, the two host cities of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The Verona Olympic Arena is the third-largest Roman amphitheater in Italy, and was built in 30 AD to host gladiator battles.
Original:https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2026/02/22/olympics-closing-ceremony-live-updates/88799693007/
