Milan, Italy – The UAE flag was raised at the opening ceremony of the 26th Winter Olympics on Friday.
It will be hosted by the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina, from February 6 to 22, in what is the UAE’s first participation in this major Olympic event.
The opening ceremony was held simultaneously for the first time in four main locations, including:
1- San Siro Stadium in Milan.
2- Snow Park in Livigno.
3- Cortina d’Ampezzo city centre.
4- Ski jumping stadium in Predatsu.
Athletes participated in the parade as part of their competition groups, along with flag bearers, with the aim of reducing travel time and facilitating players’ participation.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella opened the tournament during a three-hour ceremony at the San Siro Stadium, highlighting Italian history and lifestyle.
With the participation of a group of artists, including Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli.
Athletes’ marches
About 1,350 volunteers participated in organizing the ceremony on stage and 700 backstage, in addition to organizing simultaneous marches for athletes in Predazzo, Livigno and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
The ceremony was attended by Fares Mohammed Al Mutawa, Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee, Mohammed bin Darwish, Executive Director of the Committee, and Hamel Al Qubaisi, Vice President of the Emirates Winter Sports Federation.
The UAE is participating in the tournament with Alexander Estrigi and Pera Hodson in alpine skiing competitions.
It will be held over three days, as part of a program that will see the participation of approximately 2,900 athletes from around the world, competing for 114 medal groups across eight sports and 16 disciplines.
Fares Al-Mutawa appreciated this historic participation, stressing the National Olympic Committee’s pride in the country’s athletes who worked hard over the past years to achieve this entitlement.
He pointed out that the participation represents a real start to the UAE Winter Olympic Games, and reflects an integrated strategy for preparation in cooperation with the UAE Winter Sports Federation in preparation for the upcoming events.
He wished the athletes success in representing the nation in the best way.
Hamel Al Qubaisi stressed that participation represents an important platform for promoting winter sports in the UAE and encouraging young people to practice them.
With a commitment to providing the best means of support to athletes and expanding their international presence to reflect the spirit of sport and excellence.
Italy is hosting the Winter Olympics for the third time in its history, after Cortina 1956 and Turin 2006.
The Milan–Cortina 2026 tournament is scheduled to record the highest rates of gender balance in the history of the Winter Games, with about 1,362 sessions allocated to female athletes, compared to 1,538 for male athletes out of 2,900 sessions.
In addition to 50 events dedicated to women within the official program.
