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.
| Part of 2026 Winter Olympics | |
Verona Arena in Verona, Italy, hosted the closing ceremony. | |
| 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) |
As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the proceedings combine the protocol-related and cultural segments. 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
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). 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).
The Olympians staying in the Milan Olympic Village travelled by train from Milan to Verona.
Proceedings
The closing ceremony was held at the Verona Arena, and started at 20:30 (CET) in Verona, Italy.
Victory ceremonies
Olympic flag handover ceremony
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. 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.
The French flag was then raised to the national anthem of France, performed by French singer Marine Chagnon.
Anthems
- National Anthem of Italy – Paolo Fresu
- Anthem of Europe
- National Anthem of Greece
- Olympic Anthem – Choir and Orchestra of the Fondazione Arena di Verona
- French National Anthem – Marine Chagnon
Victory ceremonies
- National Anthem of Norway
- National Anthem of Sweden
Music performances
- Gabry Ponte, who was previously a member of the Eurodance group Eiffel 65
- Italian singer Achille Lauro
- Italian electronic collective Meduza
- American electronic music group Major Lazer featuring MØ
- Actress Benedetta Porcaroli
- Italian singer Joan Thiele performed a cover of Jimmy Fontana's "Il mondo"
Dignitaries in attendance
International Olympic Committee
- 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
- Italy – Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy
- Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Milan
- Gianluca Lorenzi, Mayor of Cortina d'Ampezzo
International
- France – Renaud Muselier, President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region
- Fabrice Pannekoucke, President of the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Region
Television coverage
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
- Australia
- Nine Network: Todd Woodbridge, Leila McKinnon and Lydia Lassila.
- Brazil
- Grupo Globo (SporTV and Ge TV): Luiz Carlos Júnior, Marcel Stürmmer and Marcelo Apovian.
- CazéTV: Luís Felipe Freitas and Friends.
- Italy
- Rai 1: Auro Bulbarelli, Cecilia Gasdia, and Fabio Genovesi
- Sweden
- TV4: Peter Backe, Peter Reinebo, Olof Lundh
- United Kingdom
- BBC Two: John Hunt and Hazel Irvine
- United States
- NBC Sports (NBCUniversal): Terry Gannon, Tara Lipinski, and Johnny Weir.
Viewership
According to Auditel ratings, the closing ceremony was seen in Italy by an average of 6.2 million viewers.
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