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Organizers said Thursday that not only will the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games be the most televised in history, but so will the Feb. 6 opening ceremony.
The Parade of Nations will include athletes led by national flag bearers not only in Milan’s San Siro Stadium, which will be packed with 60,000 spectators, but also, for the first time in Olympic history, at three other venues: Cortina, Pradazzo and the Mountain View. Livigno,
Olympic events are scheduled from February 6-22 at various locations Italian area of Lombardy And Venetoas well as the autonomous provinces of Alto Adige and Trentino, between which there are several hours of driving. Organizers said at a press conference that spreading out the Parade of Nations would allow athletes from all disciplines, no matter how remote, to participate.
“The opening ceremony is the gateway, an invitation,” said Andrea Vernier, CEO of the Milan-Cortina organizing committee. While each nation has its own favorite sporting events, “the only moment that really stands out for everyone is the opening ceremony.” This is the moment that defines that edition of the Games in their spirit.”
Biathlon athletes competing in Enterselva on the Austrian border will be able to attend in nearby Cortina in the Dolomites of Veneto, while male alpine skiers competing in Bormio in Lombardy, near Switzerland, can join the parade in Livigno, where snowboarding and freestyle skiing competitions are held just 45 minutes away. Will go.
Each nation is allocated two flag bearers, and they can appear at two different venues. Hosts Italy will have four flag bearers, two men and two women.
Similarly, the Olympic flame will burn in two places: Arco Della Pace in the middle matchand in Cortina’s main piazza Dibona. The design of the cauldron has not yet been revealed.
Organizers said the concept for the opening ceremony would be “harmony”, representing the duality of the urban and mountainous locations for these Games, as well as an appeal at a moment of immense global tension.
“If I can achieve that, and send a strong message of peace, I think we will have achieved our goal,” said Marco Balich, the Italian producer of both the opening and closing ceremonies – his 16th as producer or creative director of the Olympics and Paralympics.
Headliners will be named later, but organizers announced a tribute to the late fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who died on September 4 at the age of 91.
Armani designed Olympic and Paralympic uniforms for the Italian national team for decades, and was a personal friend of Giovanni Malago, former president of the Italian National Olympic Committee.
“The ceremony speaks of harmony, it speaks of beauty, it speaks of design, it speaks of Italian style,” said Malago, who now chairs the local organizing committee. “There will be a feeling of a moment in gratitude for Giorgio Armani and even a standing ovation.”
The opening ceremony will highlight the San Siro Stadium, home to Inter Milan and AC Milan football clubs. There are plans to demolish it and build a new stadium owned by the teams in its place.
“It is a symbol of the city. It is very significant that San Siro will also have hosted an Olympic ceremony in its history, which not many stadiums in the world have done,” Vernier said.
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AP Sports Writer Daniela Matar contributed.