Milano Cortina 2026 closes in Verona as flame handed to French Alps for 2030

Sustainability is the great lie of these Games… the IOC has slapped it across all manner of promotional literature.

What it won’t say is the vast majority of those existing venues needed to be demolished and rebuilt with much larger footprints.

They had to build four high altitude reservoirs to provide the 2.3m cubic metres of artificial snow… water… extracted from the local rivers.

The Olympic imperative that every Games has to be newer, bigger and better… makes the claim that this is a ‘sustainable Games’ an insult.

The Milan Cortina Olympics ended Sunday as the twin flames in co-host cities Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo were extinguished during a closing ceremony inside the ancient Verona Arena.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry told local organizers that they “delivered a new kind of winter games and you set a new, very high standard for the future.”

Host Italy won its highest Winter Olympic tally ever with 30 medals — 10 gold, six silver and 14 bronze, crushing the previous record of 20 set at the Lillehammer Olympics in 1994.

The closing ceremony concluded with the Olympic flames extinguished at the unprecedented two caldrons in Milan and Cortina, viewed in Verona via video link.

A group of citizens will be heard by a United Nations oversight body on the subject of the Olympic Games, a world first.

Residents of the French Alps have asked that their voices be heard regarding the 2030 Alpine Winter Olympic Games.

So far, not a single citizen has been consulted on a project whose carbon footprint is estimated at 804,000 metric tons of CO₂.

Costs could reach up to €2.1 billion in public funds, according to the citizens' collective’s attorney.

The Milan Cortina Olympics ended Sunday as the twin flames in co-host cities Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo were extinguished during a closing ceremony inside the ancient Verona Arena.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry told local organizers that they 'delivered a new kind of winter games and you set a new, very high standard for the future.'

Host Italy won its highest Winter Olympic tally ever with 30 medals — 10 gold, six silver and 14 bronze, crushing the previous record of 20 set in 1994.

The Milan Cortina Games spanned an area of 22,000 square kilometers, from ice sports in Milan to snowboarding and men's downhill in Valtellina and women's downhill in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

The Milano Cortina Games have been farewelled in style, with the closing ceremony bringing the 2026 Winter Olympics to an end.

Bravo to the Australian team who will return home with the best overall result in Australian Winter Olympic history.

IOC president Kirsty Coventry praised the Games organisers, the athletes, the volunteers and the people of Italy for their passion.

Overall what a ceremony!

More than 90 per cent of the venues are existing or temporary facilities, reflecting a strategy centred on adaptive reuse and long-term integration.

Most villages utilise renovated or repurposed sites, reducing the need for new construction and aligning with the broader environmental objectives of the event.

The use of lightweight, temporary structures aligns with the commitment to minimising permanent impact in sensitive Alpine environments.

After the Games, the structures will continue to serve local and regional needs, ensuring a low-impact, long-term legacy.

NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics concludes tonight with the Closing Ceremony from Verona Olympic Arena.

Featuring a must-see “handoff” to French Alps 2030, as well as the Parade of Athletes highlighted by Team USA.

It’s so much bigger than the two of us. It’s about all of Team USA…all the future Olympians who are watching tonight and getting inspired.

What I love most about this Olympic Games was just that feeling of community that the athletes gave us…something that has long been lost.

It’s official: the French Alps are set to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2030!

The decision on the #FrenchAlps2030 🏔️ was taken by the IOC Members today at the 142nd IOC Session in Paris

It’s official … the French Alps are set to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2030!

Off to the Alps! Milano Cortina 2026 drops curtain.

After 16 days of sporting excellence, organisational success, few mishaps and one mammoth geopolitical controversy...

The Winter Games' Closing Ceremony featured breathtaking performances in a tribute to Italy and a unifying message en route to 2030.

Italians were skeptical about the usefulness of the arrival of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at next month's 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are expected to support security at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

The report focuses on local concerns over whether foreign security personnel are necessary or effective for the event.