Australian flag bearers Jakara Anthony and Matt Graham led a small but enthusiastic team at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, with the parade of athletes spread across four locations.
In an Olympic first, the main ceremony was held at Milan’s San Siro Stadium as athletes marched to various clusters across Italy. With competition venues spread over an area of approximately 22,000 km2, it will be the most widely distributed Games in the history of the Winter Olympics.
The largest Australian contingent was in Livigno, some 250km from Milan in the Italian Alps, where Olympic medalists Anthony and Graham led a 23-strong team, which included the team’s snowboarders in addition to other freestyle skiers.
Five skaters marched in Milan, 10 sliders and alpine skiers in Cortina and just two in Predazzo, with Australia’s female cross-country skiing quartet skipping the ceremony to prepare for the skiathlon on Saturday (local time).
Wearing traditional green and gold hats, Anthony and Graham rallied the troops with a traditional “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi oi oi” before leaving.
In another service, the Olympic flame was lit in two cauldrons, with former Italian champion skiers Deborah Compagnoni and Alberto Tomba doing the honors in Milan and current alpine star Sofia Goggia, who will compete for Italy next week, lighting the cauldron in Cortina, 400km away.
During the two-hour ceremony, American singer Mariah Carey performed the iconic Volare in Italian, and tributes were paid to famous composers such as Giuseppe Verdi and the late design king Giorgio Armani in the main stadium.
Tenor Andrea Bocelli wowed the 61,000 ticket holders in Milan, while Italian pop singer Laura Pausini performed the Italian national anthem before Italian President Sergio Mattarella formally opened the 25th Winter Olympics.
Mattarella was introduced in a video suggesting he arrived at San Siro on a tram driven by Italian motorcycle legend Valentino Rossi.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Kirsty Coventry, overseeing her first Games since succeeding Thomas Bach last year, told the athletes to “enjoy every second”.
“You will show us what it means to be human. To dream. To overcome. To respect each other. To care for each other. You will show us that strength is not just about winning – it’s about courage, empathy and heart,” she said.
“Thank you for believing in the magic of the Olympic Games. The spirit of the Olympic Games is about so much more than just sports.
“Let these Games be a celebration of what unites us – of everything that makes us human. This is the magic of the Olympic Games: inspiring us all to be the best we can be together.”
The Games will bring together approximately 2,900 athletes from 92 countries who will compete for 116 gold medals. They are participating in the first Games in Italy since Turin 2006.
After Vancouver (2010) and Sochi (2014), Asia hosted the last two Olympic Games in Pyeongchang (2018) and Beijing (2022).
SBS News has put together some of the best photos from the opening ceremony.
In pictures: opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina
How to watch the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics from Australia
You can watch the Games on the Nine Network, the streaming service Nine Now or on Stan Sport.
The opening ceremony will take place on Friday, February 6 at 8:00 PM (local time) – 6:00 AM AEDT on Saturday.
The closing ceremony will take place on Sunday 22 February (Saturday 23 February AEDT).
You can use the the full schedule of the Games’ events can be found here.
For the latest news from SBS News, download our app And subscribe to our newsletter.
#pictures #Twin #flames #message #unity #open #Milan #Cortina #Winter #Olympics