On Feb. 6, the 25th Winter Olympic Games opened in Milano-Cortino Italy. The U.S. delegation is composed of 232 athletes, the largest group of athletes that the U.S. has ever sent to the winter Olympics.
The lengthy ceremony was a celebration of Italian culture and heritage. It began with Cupid and Psyche coming to life and dancing among neoclassical sculptures. Models wearing the colors of the Italian flag strutted down a runway dressed in Georgio Armani suits in a nod to the late fashion designer.
Bobblehead versions of the famed composers Guiseppe Verdi, Gioachino Rossini and Giacomo Puccini appeared throughout the ceremony. There were nods to the paparazzi and dancers dressed as the Mona Lisa, ancient Romans and the popular Italian coffee maker commonly known as a moka pot.
Then the performance segued into another dance, representing city and nature combining as the five Olympic rings were hoisted into the air. Mariah Carey appeared to sing the Italian song “Volare,” before transitioning into the song “Nothing is Impossible” off her new album coming out in September. After her performance, the stage cleared and the Parade of Nations began.
Due to the wide geographical spread of the sporting events, athletes marched in the parade of Nations not just at the San Siro Stadium in Milan but in Livigno, Predazzo and the co-host ski town of Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Greece led the parade as the originator of the Olympic Games and, as host country, Italy entered last. In a rule created in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus did not march in the parade, although both countries have sent several athletes to compete under the neutral International Olympic Committee flag.
After the lengthy Parade of Nations, Italian legend Andrea Bocelli made an appearance, singing Nessun Dorma. Two friendly stoats, named Mila and Tino after the host cities, also made their debut as the official mascots of the Olympic Games.
Sabrina Impacciatore, most well known for her role in “White Lotus” danced her way through the history of the winter Olympic games, starting with the very first one over a hundred years ago in Chamonix, France.
As always, the opening ceremony culminates in the lighting of the cauldron from a torch that was lit in Olympia, Greece and then journeyed across the world to Milan. Over 10,000 torchbearers carried the symbolic light on its journey.
Former Olympic alpine skiers Alberto Tonga and Deborah Compagnoni lit the cauldron in Milan, officially opening the Olympic games. For the first time in history, a second cauldron was lit in the co-host city of Cortina d’Ampezzo, lit by the downhill skier Sofia Goggia.
Overall, the message of the Olympic opening ceremony was one of peace and harmony. Actress Charlize Theron appeared before the cauldron lighting to deliver a message of peace, sharing words from her countryman Nelson Mandela.
Speeches from International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry and Italian president Sergio Mattarella reiterated their desire for harmony before announcing the Olympic games as officially open.
