Verona (Italy), Feb 23: The Milan Cortina Olympics ended as the twin flames in co-host cities Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo were extinguished during a closing ceremony 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 ever.
In declaring the 2026 Games over, International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry told local organisers that they “delivered a new kind of winter games and you set a new, very high standard for the future.”
The next Winter Games will be held in neighbouring France, which received the Olympic flag in the official handover earlier in the ceremony. (AP)
