Milan, Italy. US pop singer Mariah Carey performed on Friday as the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics opened with a ceremony combining elements from co-host Milan and the mountain venues.
Performance and guests in Milan
Carey performed the 1950s Italian song “Nel blu, dipinto di blu” with its “Volare” refrain to cheers in Milan’s San Siro stadium. US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were among the crowd in the soccer stadium.
Mattarella appearance and Armani tribute
Italian President Sergio Mattarella was introduced via a recorded video clip showing the 84-year-old travelling through the city on one of Milan’s historic trams. The opening stages also included a tribute to the late Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who made Milan his base and died last September.
Role of Cortina and access confusion
Co-host Cortina d’Ampezzo had a supporting role from more than 400 km away in the mountains as part of a spectacle entitled “Armonia” (Harmony), expected to draw a large global audience on television and online. There was some confusion over access in Cortina, where Loredana Vido, from Padova, owner of a second home in Cortina, said she was blocked at the start of Corso Italia and added: “We were not told that everything would be closed off. We were told it was free entry.”
Athletes parade across mountain venues
Athletes were also parading in the mountain venues of Livigno and Predazzo, in a Games spread over 22,000 square kilometres. The ceremony is celebrating the diversity of Italian life, from fashionable Milan to smaller mountain towns in the Alps that host the outdoor events, with the Games running until February 22.
What part of the opening ceremony stood out to you most?
