2026 Olympic Games: Legendary singer Andrea Bocelli performs after Milano-Cortina Games declared open

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In keeping with the widely spread nature of these Games, the official Olympic flag is introduced in Milan and Cortina at the same time, before the Olympic anthem plays.

Olympians Rebecca Andrade, Eliud Kipchoge, Cindy Ngamba and Pita Taufatofua carry the flag in Milan. They're joined by figures "committed to promoting peace, rights and solidarity" — former Hiroshima mayor Tadatoshi Akiba, UN global advocate for peace Maryam Bukar Hassan, Nobel Peace Prize nominee Nicolò Govoni and former UN high commissioner for refugees Filippo Grandi.

Italian Olympic champions Franco Nones and Martina Valcepina carry the flag in Cortina.

A few more pieces of protocol — like the dove of peace — before South African Oscar winner and UN peace ambassador Charlize Theron delivers a reading inspired by the late Nelson Mandela.

The "Dove of Peace" performance was described as a rejection of war.

What a moment. Bocelli had the crowd mesmerized in silence, before they burst into applause on his final note. 

OK, Bocelli’s performance was also tear-inducing. Just beautiful.

That rendition of Nessun Dorma undoubtedly caused goosebumps.

Italian legend Andrea Bocelli performs Nessun Dorma as the torch relay makes its way in and out of the stadium, symbolically creating a path for the Games to continue beyond the opening ceremony venue.

Bocelli took a break from a world tour to perform here today. It's been nearly 20 years since Bocelli delivered an epic performance at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. 

Organizers believed Bocelli's performance today would be "one of the most iconic moments of the event."

Mattarella made the declaration in Italian from the presidential box at the San Siro.

Coventry addresses Olympians directly.

"Over the next two weeks, you're going to give us something truly special," Coventry said. 

"You'll show us what it means to be human, to dream, to overcome, to respect one another, to care for each other. You'll show us that strength isn't just about winning, it's about courage."

Coventry praised Italy's "dedication, creativity and teamwork" in hosting this year's Winter Games.

It's the first opening ceremony address from Coventry, a five-time Olympian in swimming.

She became the first female president when she was elected last year. She’s also the second-youngest IOC president, and the first from Africa.

“When we see an athlete stumble and find the strength to rise, we are reminded that we can do the same,” Coventry told the crowd in Milan.

“When we see rivals embrace at the end of a finish line, we are reminded that we can choose respect. When we see grace, courage and friendship, we remember the kind of people we all want to be. The spirit of the Olympic Games is about so much more than sport. It is about us, and what makes us human.”

The speech by Milano Cortina 2026 organizing committee president Giovanni Malago highlights the fact that these Winter Games are the most gender-balanced ever. 

He says Italy's geographic beauty does not belong to the nation, but to history and that it is the country's responsibility to preserve it. 

A former athlete himself, Malago told the athletes: "These Games belong to you."

He made a nod to geopolitical tensions as well. 

"At a time when so much of the world is divided by so much conflict, your very presence demonstrates that another world is possible," he said.

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