Violetta played by Carolina Lopez Moreno performs during the closing ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Verona, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.

International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry lauded Milan-Cortina 2026 as a "new kind of Winter Games" as she declared them closed on Sunday.

The Olympic flame encased in a Venetian glass vessel was carried into the Arena by Italian gold medalists from the 1994 Lillehammer Games.

The Milan Cortina Olympics ended Sunday with a closing ceremony paying tribute to Italian dance and music inside the ancient Verona Arena, roughly mid-distance between the far-flung mountain, valley and city venues that made these the most spread-out Winter Games in Olympic history.

The Closing Ceremony, underway on Sunday, marks the official end of the Milan Cortina Olympics. The ceremony, inside the ancient Verona Arena, was roughly mid-distance between the far-flung mountain,