Milan-Cortina Paralympics close with ceremony in Cortina d'Ampezzo

The closing ceremony of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympics took place Sunday at the Olympic ice stadium in Cortina d'Ampezzo, marking the end of the Games.

The phrase "Ciao ciao Cortina" appeared within the stadium during the ceremony. The ice stadium, a symbol of the 1956 Winter Games held in Cortina, underwent radical modernization and expansion specifically for this edition of the Paralympics.

Lorenzo Fontana, president of the Chamber of Deputies, was the highest-ranking official present at the event. The ceremony opened with the Italian national anthem performed by singer Arisa, accompanied by the raising of the Italian flag by State Police in historical uniform. Athletes from all participating nations then paraded through the stadium and received applause from the audience.

Giovanni Malagò, president of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Foundation, addressed the gathering following the athletic parade. "In this ceremony," Malagò said, "there is the same spirit of all the Games: here a beacon shone in a world of darkness. The competitions end, but the legacy remains."

Ukraine boycotted the closing ceremony in protest of Russia's participation with its own flag during the Paralympics. This represented a change from the Olympic Games held earlier, where neither Russia nor Belarus were permitted to compete under their national flags, consistent with the approach taken at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Valeriy Sushkevych, president of Ukraine's National Paralympic Committee, confirmed the boycott decision to German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur. "No, never. The flag of a murderous state will be raised there. These Paralympic Games are the worst in history," Sushkevych stated.

Ukraine ranked among the top-performing nations at the Games prior to the boycott decision.