Sunday evening's event
A symbolic pair of Team Italy will lead the Italian flag at the Closing Ceremony of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, scheduled for Sunday evening at the Verona Arena. The Olympic champions Lisa Vittozzi and Davide Ghiotto have been chosen as the Italian flag bearers for the final event of this Olympic Games, which brings the curtain down on an edition that has rightfully entered the history of Italian sport. The biathlete from Friuli, who starred in a top-level Olympics crowned with the first individual Olympic gold medal in Italian biathlon history (in the pursuit) and silver in the mixed relay, has confirmed her position, with talent and determination, as one of the discipline's top international performers, a symbol of resilience after the injury that forced her to miss the entire 2024/2025 season.
Choosing a mixed couple
Alongside her will be Davide Ghiotto, a speed skating champion and key member of the Italian trio that won another historic gold medal in the team pursuit. The Vicenza native, along with Andrea Giovannini and Michele Malfatti, successfully restored Italy to the elite of the discipline, 20 years after their last home success in Turin 2006. The choice of a mixed pair, two Olympic champions, for the final parade once again underscores the values of balance and representativeness that have characterized this delegation, which has achieved 26 podium finishes so far and made Milan Cortina 2026 the most successful Winter Olympics ever for the Italian team. Under the thousand-year-old vaults of the Verona Arena, the setting for the Closing Ceremony (scheduled to begin at 8:00 PM), the Italian flag will be entrusted to two athletes who are symbols of Milano Cortina 2026: an image destined to remain etched in our memory, sealing weeks of excitement, records, and medals that have propelled Italy to the pinnacle of world winter sports.
The statements
"Being named flag bearer for the Closing Ceremony in Verona is a huge source of pride for me. Among so many athletes who deserved to be nominated by CONI for this historic Olympics, President Luciano Buonfiglio chose me. I am truly speechless and very excited.“, are the words of Lisa Vittozzi. “It's a huge thrill for me. Seeing my name next to that of a legend like Lisa Vittozzi is truly amazing. Knowing that I've been preceded by athletes who have won more medals than me in their careers makes me feel small compared to them, but at the same time very grateful for this opportunity. I'm overjoyed. I want to thank CONI President Luciano Buonfiglio for this recognition. In recent days, my Olympics have taken a different turn, and now I'll end them on a high note. I can only be happy.“, declared Davide Ghiotto (source: CONI).
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