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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Tanya Aldred, Tom Bassam, and Yara El-Shaboury and Billy Munday(earlier)

Winter Olympics 2026: opening ceremony at Milan’s San Siro and beyond – as it happened

Team GB Milan Olympics Winter Olympics Bruce Mouat Jen Dodds Cortina
Fireworks go off as the Olympic cauldron under the Arco della Pace in Milan is lit by Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni.
Fireworks go off as the Olympic cauldron under the Arco della Pace in Milan is lit by Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni. Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters

And with that, 60,000 spectators at the San Siro slip into the night. Time for me to go bed too. The games proper start tomorrow, with Great Britain taking on Canada at 9.05am in the mixed curling. Thanks for your messages during this long, whacky, but quite lovely opening ceremony. Good night!

The Italian night is kind – cold and dry. Ski-ing icon Gustav Thöni is one of the final flame carriers in Milan. The last torch bearers are raised up and finally the cauldron is alight at the Arco della Pace.

The cauldron is based on drawings by Leonardo de Vinci, and is truly gorgeous. A few seconds later, the identical Cortina cauldron at Piazza Angelo Dibona is lit too.

The games are open!

Updated

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