2026 Winter Olympics closing ceremony
| Part of 2026 Winter Olympics | |
 Parade of flag bearers and athletes | |
| Date | 22 February 2026 |
|---|---|
| Time | 20:30–23:00 CET (UTC+1) |
| Venue | Verona Arena |
| Location | Verona, Italy |
| Also known as | Beauty in Action |
| Filmed by | Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) |
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| Part of a series on |
| 2026 Winter Olympics |
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The 2026 Winter Olympics closing ceremony took place on 22 February 2026. It started at 20:30 CET (19:30 UTC) and concluded at 23:00. It was held at the Verona Arena in Verona, Italy.
As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the proceedings combine the protocol-related and cultural segments.[1] It is the first Olympics Games closing ceremony under the IOC presidency of Kirsty Coventry.
The city of Verona was chosen to host the ceremony, even though no events were scheduled to take place there: the intention was for this ceremony to be held in a setting reminiscent of the ancient Olympic Games. The ancient Roman amphitheater, that regularly hosts a famous open-air opera festival as well as other cultural events, will also host the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Paralympics on 6 March.
Preparations
[edit]
The closing ceremony was filmed by Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and broadcast by International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Global Media rights holders.
The creative team for the ceremony was led by Francesco Paolo Conticello, president and CEO of G2 Eventi – Casta Diva Group. The team includes Angelo Bonello (artistic and show director) and Francesca Formisano (music composer).[2] While other sources stated that the creative team was guided by Alfredo Accatino, with the team consisting of Adriano Martella (creative director), Stefania Opipari (show director), Stefano Ciammitti (costume designer), Vittorio Cosma (music director), Michele Braga (music director) and Claudio Santucci (set designer).[3]
The Olympians staying in the Milan Olympic Village travelled by train from Milan to Verona.
Proceedings
[edit]The closing ceremony was held at the Verona Arena, and started at 20:30 (CET) in Verona, Italy.
Beauty in Action segment
[edit]![[icon]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (February 2026) |
Victory ceremonies
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Olympic flag handover ceremony
[edit]The mayors of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Giuseppe Sala and Gianluca Lorenzi, handed the Olympic flag over to IOC president Kirsty Coventry. She then handed the flag over to Renaud Muselier, president of the Provence-Alpe-Cote d'Azur Region and Fabrice Pannekoucke, president of the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Region.[4] The Olympic flag will be raised again on 14 July 2028 in Los Angeles, California during the opening ceremony at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and 2028 Stadium for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
In honor of the 2030 Winter Olympics, the French flag was then raised to the national anthem of France, performed by French singer Marine Chagnon.
The handover ceremony included a video of the French Alps, the mountains.
Anthems
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National Anthem of Italy – Paolo Fresu
National Anthem of Greece
Olympic Anthem – Choir and Orchestra of the Fondazione Arena di Verona
French National Anthem – Marine Chagnon
Victory ceremonies
[edit]Music performances
[edit]- Gabry Ponte, who was previously a member of the Eurodance group Eiffel 65, performed the group's song "Blue (Da Ba Dee)"[5]
- Italian singer Achille Lauro performed his song "Incoscienti giovani"[6]
- Italian electronic collective Meduza
- American electronic music group Major Lazer featuring MØ and Italian rapper Alfa [7]
- Actress Benedetta Porcaroli
- Italian singer Joan Thiele performed a cover of Jimmy Fontana's "Il mondo"[8][9]
- Italian singers Margherita Vicario and Davide Shorty sang to the music of Calibro 35[10]
Dignitaries in attendance
[edit]International Olympic Committee
[edit]- International Olympic Committee – Kirsty Coventry, President of the International Olympic Committee
Members of the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic movement, not counting foreign representatives
Host
[edit]International
[edit]- France – Renaud Muselier, President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region
- Fabrice Pannekoucke, President of the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Region
Television coverage
[edit]The closing ceremony was filmed by host broadcaster Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), with OBS distributing a "world feed" for rights-holding broadcasters to use.
Commentators and hosts
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Australia
Brazil
- Grupo Globo (SporTV and Ge TV): Luiz Carlos Júnior, Marcel Stürmmer and Marcelo Apovian.[13]
- CazéTV: Luís Felipe Freitas and Friends.[14][15]
- Italy
Netherlands
- NPO 1 (NOS): Erik van Dijk and Mark Tuitert.[17]
Sweden
- TV4: Peter Backe, Peter Reinebo, Olof Lundh[18]
United Kingdom
United States
Viewership
[edit]According to Auditel ratings, the closing ceremony was seen in Italy by an average of 6.2 million viewers.[21]
References
[edit]- ^ "How do the Olympic games opening and closing ceremonies take place?". Olympics.com. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ Milano Cortina 2026 announces vision and artists of Opening and Closing Ceremonies
- ^ Milano Cortina 2026 details closing ceremony, ‘Beauty in Action’
- ^ "Twin Milan and Cortina Olympic cauldrons are extinguished, signaling the end of Winter Games". Newsday. Associated Press. 22 February 2026. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ^ "Garby Ponte To Perform At The Olympics Closing Ceremony". Escxtra.com. 15 February 2026. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ^ "Achille Lauro Stars In The Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Closing Ceremony". Olympics.com. 17 February 2026. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ "An explosion of energy at the Arena di Verona: Major Lazer at the Olympic Closing Ceremony Milano Cortina 2026". Olympics.com. 21 February 2026. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ "Winter Olympics 2026 closing ceremony live updates: Latest from the Games' finale in Arena di Verona". The New York Times. 22 February 2026. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ "Olimpiadi, cerimonia di chiusura all'Arena di Verona. Omaggio a lirica e pop italiani LIVE". Sky TG24 (in Italian). 22 February 2026. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ Mascolino, Fabiana (23 February 2026). "Davide Shorty incanta l'Arena di Verona: il cantante palermitano alla cerimonia di chiusura delle Olimpiadi invernali" [Davide Shorty enchants the Verona Arena: the Palermo-born singer at the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics]. www.ilsicilia.it (in Italian). Retrieved 24 February 2026.
- ^ "Meloni domenica a Verona per la cerimonia di chiusura dei Giochi - Ultima ora - Ansa.it". Agenzia ANSA (in Italian). 2026-02-20. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
- ^ Knox, David (22 February 2026). "Winter Olympics: Closing Ceremony". TV Tonight. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ "Sportv2 transmite a cerimônia de encerramento dos Jogos Olímpicos de Inverno - TELA VIVA News". telaviva.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2026-02-19. Retrieved 2026-02-22.
- ^ "CazéTV fará a cobertura da reta final dos Jogos Olímpicos de Inverno - Dourado Store". douradostore.com.br. Retrieved 2026-02-22.
- ^ CazéTV (2026-02-22). CERIMÔNIA DE ENCERRAMENTO DAS OLIMPÍADAS DE INVERNO 2026. Retrieved 2026-02-22 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Auro Bulbarelli, chi è il telecronista Rai della cerimonia di chiusura di Milano-Cortina: la rinuncia iniziale e il caso Petrecca". Il Messaggero (in Italian). 2026-02-22.
- ^ "Lollobrigida niet bij sluiting, maar bij zoontje". NOS (in Dutch). 22 February 2026. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
- ^ "Avslutning - ceremoni". www.tv4play.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ^ "How to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony on TV and BBC iPlayer". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2026-02-22.
- ^ "When Is The 2026 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony". NBCSports.com. February 17, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ^ Fabbretti, Fabio (2026-02-23). "Ascolti TV | Domenica 22 Febbraio 2026. In 6,2 milioni (30.9%) per la Cerimonia di Chiusura delle Olimpiadi". Davide Maggio (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-02-23.
| Opening ceremonies |
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| Closing ceremonies |
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