94 Days Until The Winter Olympics: Milan Cortina Will Have Historic Multi-Venue Parade And Dual Flames
The upcoming winter games are called the Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games. When you use Google Maps for directions from Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy to Milan, Italy, you can expect the trip to take between six and seven hours, you will not be able to avoid the tolls, and it looks like you will experience several mountain-side turns and roundabouts, so you might want to pack some Dramamine.
But wait, the Olympic planners figured out a way to avoid the drive. For the first time in history, the Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games will have four locations for the Opening Ceremonies Parade of Nations and two locations for the Olympic Torch.
Whew, that is a good thing, because depending on when you do your Google Maps search, there is a lot of red. If traffic is that bad now, just wait until the games start.
Details of the Parade Of Nations
The Parade of Nations will be in four locations. This is an Olympic first. The Parade of Nations is a ritual that allows athletes from each nation to march into the Opening Ceremonies with the flag of their country.
The main stage for the Opening Ceremonies, and venue Number One for the flags will be Milan’s iconic San Siro Stadium, where an estimated 60,000 spectators will witness the festivities. The choice of San Siro Stadium for the Olympic opening ceremonies has historical significance. The legendary venue, home to rival soccer clubs AC Milan and Inter Milan. In addition, the stadium is slated to be torn down in the near future.
“It’s an icon of the city,” Andrea Varnier, CEO of the Milan Cortina organizing committee noted. “It is very important that in its history San Siro will have also hosted an Olympic Ceremony, which not many stadiums in the world have done.”
In addition, the Parade of Nations will extend to the mountain venues of Cortina, Predazzo, and Livigno.
This historical moment allows biathlon athletes in Anterselva, near the Austrian border, to join the parade in nearby Cortina. Similarly, alpine skiers competing in Bormio can participate just 45 minutes away in Livigno.
Said Varnier: “The only moment that is truly for everyone is the Opening Ceremony. It is the moment that defines that edition of the Games, in their spirit.”
To accommodate the multiple parade locations, each nation will be allotted two flagbearers who can appear in different venues. As the host, Italy will be granted four flagbearers, allowing the home nation to have a grand presence across its celebration.
The ceremony, set for February 6, 2026, aims to connect the sprawling venues and create a unified experience for the 3,500 athletes participating.
A Historic First for the Olympic Flame
In another unprecedented move, the Olympic flame will burn in two locations simultaneously. Cauldrons will be lit at both the Arco della Pace in central Milan and in Cortina’s main Piazza Dibona.
Some believe this was done to avoid traffic and car sickness between the two main centers, but organizers point to a much more noble reason for the unique dual flames. While the designs of the cauldrons are unknown at this time, this historic decision further cements the 2026 Games as a truly unique event.
Organizers point out that the unique opening ceremonies and dual flames reinforce the ‘Harmony’ theme” that they have established for the games, connecting the city with the mountains and symbolizing a Games shared across Italy. They state it represents the duality of the urban and mountain venues for these games, as well as an appeal in a moment of enormous global tensions.
“If I can achieve that, and send a strong message of peace, I think we that we will achieve our goal,’’ said Marco Balich, the Italian producer of both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, his 16th Olympics and Paralympics as either producer or creative director.
