The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics opened on Friday with a glittering ceremony at the San Siro stadium echoed by festivities at Games venues across the snow-capped Italian Alps.
The extravaganza reflected the most geographically widespread Olympics in history.
It culminated in the lighting of two cauldrons, one at Milan’s Arch of Peace and one in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the chic resort 400km from Milan that is hosting the women’s alpine skiing.
Photo: AFP
Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni, two Italian skiing Olympic champions of the past, lit an intricate cauldron inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s knot patterns at Milan’s Arch of Peace.
In the freezing mountain air of Cortina, the task fell to Sofia Goggia — an Italian former gold medalist who had earlier taken part in a training run for the women’s downhill event.
The ceremony in Milan showcased Italy’s rich cultural heritage, with a nod to late fashion giant Giorgio Armani.
Photo: AP
An otherwise harmonious event was punctuated by loud boos from the crowd when US Vice President J.D. Vance appeared on the big screen at the San Siro stadium.
There has been anger in Italy over the presence of agents from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement as part of security for the US delegation, even though the Italian government has said the agents would not have any operational role on its soil.
Performers at the San Siro show wore outsized heads of the three great masters of Italian opera — Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini and Gioachino Rossini while American diva Mariah Carey, in a white sequined dress with feathers, sang Volare in Italian and Nothing is Impossible.
Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli got a rapturous reception after performing Nessun Dorma and dozens of models honored Armani by streaming across the stage wearing red, green and white trouser suits.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella declared the Games open after International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry told the competitors: “You remind us that we can be brave, that we can be kind, that we can get back up, no matter how hard we fall.”
In a first, 2,900 athletes paraded in the venues closest to where they would compete, in a bid to minimize travel.
Also on Friday, competitive action in the figure skating began, with defending champions the US taking an early lead in the team event thanks to world champion ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates.
Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen scorched to victory in the men’s Olympic downhill in Bormio yesterday, winning the first gold medal of the Games.
Reigning world champion Von Allmen hit speeds of 145kph to clock a winning time of 1 minute, 51.61 seconds down the testing Stelvio course.
Meanwhile, Chinese freestyle skier Eileen Gu, one of the faces of the 2022 Games in Beijing, launched her bid for triple gold as the women’s slopestyle gets underway at Livigno Snow Park.
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