Olympics closing ceremony live updates: Milan Cortina Games close after 33 Team USA medal wins
The Winter Games close in Verona’s ancient Roman arena, where “Beauty in Action” is the theme.
"Beauty in Action" is the theme of this year's closing. Michael Kappeler / dpa / picture alliance via Getty Images
Athletes say arrivederci to 2026 Winter Games. What to know:
- The two Olympic torches were extinguished tonight at the end of the Games' closing ceremony, which took place in the Verona Arena. The Roman amphitheater, which is an UNESCO World Heritage site, will also be home to the Paralympic Winter Games opening ceremony on March 6.
- Here come the flags: Team USA, which ended the winter games with 33total medals, selected hockey star Hilary Knight and ice dancer Evan Bates as its flag-bearers. About 1,500 Olympians were able to celebrate their achievements at the parade of athletes as about 12,000 spectators cheered them on.
- “Beauty in Action” was the theme of this year’s closing. Italian ballet star Roberto Bolle, Italian DJ Gabry Ponte, Italian singer Achille Lauro and Italian actor and model Benedetta Porcaroli were among the performers. Diplo and Major Lazer also helped closed out the event with a high-energy set that had athletes and attendees dancing.
- ‘Time to say goodbye’: The closing ceremony aired on NBC and streamed on NBCOlympics.com and Peacock. For night owls, there will be a prime-time encore presentation at 9 p.m. ET.
- Catch up on Olympics coverage: Stream every moment and every medal of the Games on Peacock. Read the latest updates and interact with our AI chatbot, OLI, on the Olympics hub. And catch up with the top athletes and day’s recaps by signing up for NBC News’ The Sports Desk newsletter.
Next up: LA28
The sunniest destinations in Los Angeles are on display in a teaser for the Summer Olympics just two years away, featuring Kate Hudson performing “California Dreamin’.”
Hudson was nominated for an Oscar this year for her performance in "Song Sung Blue," in which she plays one-half of a Neil Diamond tribute band.
Achille Lauro performs song about remembering where you come from
Eurovision star Achille Lauro sang "Incoscienti Giovani" in a dreamlike performance that fit the song's notes of nostalgia.
It's a party: Diplo and Major Lazer get arena dancing
DJ Diplo and EDM/DJ group Major Lazer performed the group’s 2015 hit “Lean On" and other high-energy songs to help close out the night.
Piero Cruciatti / AFP via Getty Images
Diplo appeared to spoil his presence at the closing ceremony just hours earlier in a post on Instagram, in which he shared video of him celebrating Team USA. "Nobody in this stadium knows i'm closing the olympic ceremony with major lazer" he wrote in the text.
The performance had the arena and all the athletes on their feet dancing to the beats in a moment that NBC's commentators aptly described as a true party.
The two Winter Games flames have been extinguished
Performers from the opera returned to the stage for a piano performance of "Experience" by Ludovico Einaudi. The two flames were extinguished as the new orchestration of “Experience” created specifically for the Milan Cortina Games played.
IOC president closes out Winter Games with praise for 'Olympic spirit'
Giovanni Malagò, president of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, told Italian athletes that their performances this year — which set a national record for Italy’s Olympic medals — “united Italians everywhere and played a fundamental role in the success of the Games.”
“What we have witnessed over the past two weeks demonstrates just how much the Winter Games mattered to the Olympic movement, an extraordinary kaleidoscope of sporting achievements and personal journeys where passions and emotions come together alongside some of the contradictions of our deeply divided world,” Malagò said.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry similarly praised the Olympic athletes of the world for “show[ing] us that the Olympic Games are a place for everyone, a place where sport brings us together.”
“This is the true Olympic spirit: competing, embracing, lifting each other up,” Coventry said. “Whatever the result, you showed us what excellence, respect and friendship look like in a world that often forgets these values.”
The closing ceremony is getting us hyped for 2030
Already missing the Olympics? The Winter Games will be back in just 1,444 days in the French Alps, according to NBC's commentators.
At least we have the Paralympic Games! They begin March 6.
Now, the handover to France
The Olympic flag is being handed over to France, which will host the next Winter Games in 2030.
Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala and Cortina Mayor Gianluca Lorenzi handed the flag over to IOC President Kirsty Coventry, who then presented it to the representatives for the next host of the Winter Games.
The handover concluded with the playing of the French anthem. It was followed by Olympians and musicians walking onstage wearing white attire and what appeared to be light-up backpacks to help illuminate the stage.
'Thank you water': Ceremony showcases love for the environment
The next sequence — depicting a journey through the different forms of water — aims to convey a message of hope and respect for the environment. Ballet star Roberto Bolle was among the performers, suspended in air inside a ring.
Piero Cruciatti / AFP - Getty Images
Performed by dancers dressed in icy blue, the sequence illustrates the concept that “humans and nature are part of a beautiful yet fragile circular system,” commentator Tara Lipinski said.
“No water, no ice, no snow, no Winter Olympics,” she said.
"Thank you, water," added co-host Weir.
The performance featured a rendition of the famous Italian song "Il Mondo." It paid tribute the Italy's bodies of water, from the Dolomites to the Venetian canals to Verona’s Adige River.
Ceremony remembers athletes who are no longer with us
The ceremony honored the late Olympians with a performance of "Madama Butterfly." The in memoriam is a tradition inaugurated in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and Ebba Andersson get final medals of Games during closing
Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo has become the first athlete to win six gold medals at a single Winter Games.
He just received his final one during the closing ceremony, for the men’s 50km mass start.
Sweden’s Ebba Andersson also received his gold during the closing ceremony just moments earlier.
We're blue da-ba-dee, da-ba-di
Gabry Ponte is DJ-ing the iconic song that most will recognize (for better or for worse).
The Eiffel 65 song is playing to honor the volunteers of this year's Games. According to Weir, there were a total of 18,000 of them.
During the number, the dancers formed a “26” (for 2026). The oldest volunteer at the Games, Mario Gargiulo, 89, was in the center.
Mountain symbolizes the athletes' climb
The performance closed out with dancers in the sky before a mountain backdrop, a symbol of descent and the athletes' climb, Lapinski noted in her on air commentary.
Things we did not expect: a trampoline
Italian gymnast Flavio Cannone showed off his trampoline skills as the interpretive dance performance continued.
“Each jump is an act of trust, risk and progression,” the commentator said, as Cannone bounced higher on a trampoline in the center of the stage.
Rave-like vibes onstage
The Olympics are showcasing the hard work and training athletes endure to get to the Winter Games in a routine performed by dancers from the Opera Theatre of Rome.
Bright colors are lighting up the stage, as mirrors reflect the dancers' movement in a high-energy routine that looks like everyone's at a rave.
Andreas Rentz / Getty Images
Commentators Lipinski, Weir praise USA for having ‘a voice’
Closing ceremony co-host Johnny Weir lauded Team USA for “how they’ve stood up for one another.” Many of the athletes from the U.S. have drawn attention for speaking out against the Trump administration's actions at home.
“They’ve not been afraid to have a voice,” Weir said as the athletes entered the stage. “They’ve said their truth in front of the whole world. And I think that takes a lot of guts.”
Sarah Stier / Getty Images
Co-host Tara Lipinski echoed his sentiments, praising Team USA’s “authenticity” during this year’s Winter Games.
“Amongst the figure skaters, I have never seen camaraderie like this," she said. "The Blade Angels — the three U.S. women figure skaters — support each other, uplift one another, motivate each other. It’s really beautiful.”
Gold medalist Alysa Liu shares her favorite part of the Games
Liu, who lit up the ice with her joyful and high-flying Olympic free skate, said she loves being an athlete as she reflects on the end of the Milan Cortina Games.
Ahead of walking out during the procession of athletes, Liu told NBC on air that her favorite moment of this year's Games was "being out there on the ice in front of the crowd and sharing the moment with my friends and family, because they were up there in the audience."
As she says goodbye to Milan, it seems like Liu is already thinking ahead to next year's competitions. "I cant imagine not skating next year," she said.
Athletes enter stage as one group in a symbol of unity
Stefano Rellandini / AFP via Getty Images
Unlike the opening ceremony, tonight’s parade of athletes has all the countries’ athletes entering as one group. The tradition began at the 1956 Summer Games in Melbourne to symbolize the unifying power of the Olympics.
Joosep Martinson / Getty Images
About 1,500 athletes are participating in the closing ceremony
These were the biggest Winter Olympics ever, according to NBC commentators, with over 2,900 athletes. Tonight, organizers told The Associated Press that about 1,500 athletes are participating in the closing ceremony.
The organizers also said there are about 12,000 expected attendees (compared to the 60,000 who attended the opening ceremony in Milan).
Fireworks light up sky after Olympic flame's arrival
After the Olympic flame was lit, fireworks flew above the arena. Below, the words "faster, higher, stronger, together" could be seen on the stage.
Michael Kappeler / dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images
The procession of flag bearers has also begun. The countries will arrive in "Italian alphabetical order adapted to IOC protocol, except for Greece, which traditionally enters first as the birthplace of the Olympic Games," according to the Olympics website.
The Olympic flame carried into arena
The Olympic flame has entered the arena, carried by the 1994 cross-country skiing 4x10km relay champions: Italy’s Maurilio De Zolt, Marco Albarello, Giorgio Vanzetta and Silvio Fauner.
Andreas Rentz / Getty Images
USA's Jessie Diggins celebrates her final Olympics
Team’s USA’s Jessie Diggins is at the closing ceremony tonight commemorating her last-ever Olympics. She just completed her final cross-country skiing event, the women’s 50km race.
“I cried when we left town because it’s been an amazing time racing at this venue for 14 years, and I’m just gonna miss the people so much,” Diggins said in an on-air interview with NBC. “But it was so, so special to do my last-ever Olympic race after so many years, and I just feel so supported by this team and all these people.”
The Italian flag is being raised in the arena
Italy's military police are currently raising the Italian flag wearing 19th-century-style uniforms. People inside were then asked to stand for the Italian national anthem, which is being performed by a choir and orchestra.
Closing ceremony pays homage to the people of Italy
The creative program of the closing ceremony honored common Italian people, who welcome athletes and the competition into their home country.
Projections of Italians lit up the stage as dancers moved across it, before the Italian flag was brought into the arena.
Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images
Later, the flag was also carried into the area by citizens of Olympic host cities, which NBC News' commentators said is intended to represent the communities' commitment to the Games.
Benedetta Porcaroli makes cameo during closing ceremony
Italian actress Benedetta Porcaroli made an appearance, leading the audience into a grand theater just as the orchestra finished playing and the ceremony transitioned to a dance number.
Opera divas welcome flag bearers to the closing ceremony
Joosep Martinson / Getty Images
The flag bearers are beginning their procession into the arena, walking on a red carpet around the arena guided by the opera stars.
Singers perform a dramatic rendition of famous Italian opera duet
As characters from famous Italian operas took the stage, the performers sang “Libiamo ne’ lieti calici," from Giuseppe Verdi’s "La Traviata" opera.
Michael Kappeler / dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images
They wore gorgeous gowns and outfits that were made from recycled materials or fabrics created for other uses.
Loving the commentary
Figure skating commentators Terry Gannon, Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir are giving solid commentary on the closing ceremony as well.
If you're a "Traitors" fan, it's extra fun seeing Lipinski and Weir, who competed in this past season, actually flaunt that they are besties.
Closing ceremonies open with a peek backstage at the opera
Tonight's closing ceremonies began with a maestro emerging onstage, before taking us behind the curtain.
The Olympic cauldron at the Arco della Pace prior to the closing ceremony on Sunday. Maja Hitij / Getty Images
Backstage, we are seeing glimpses of performers, costumes, as well as stars like Eurovision alum Achille Lauro.
The closing ceremony has officially begun
Get ready for "Beauty in Action."
Athletes 'will be the real stars' of ceremony, artistic director says
Alfredo Accatino, the artistic director for the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics and the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Winter Games, said that the closing ceremony is all about the athletes.
“The athletes will be the real stars of the event,” Accatino said in an interview posted to the Olympics website. “It will begin with lots of colours and end with a party. Those who come to Verona will never forget it. It is a moment of veiled melancholy, because the big event is coming to an end, and with so many emotions.”
Accatino brought up the 2024 Paris Olympics, saying those Games and Milan Cortina are "the first to be born in an era of artificial intelligence." That being said, people will remain the focus of the closing show.
"As always, we have invested in technology that serves humanity," Accatino said. "It’s a very humanistic approach, which lends itself very well.”
Accatino has been posting behind-the-scenes updates of preparations for tonight on Instagram, including images of people holding flags, the crew that's putting the show together and the volunteers helping with the event.
Team USA finishes Winter Olympics 2026 with 33 medals
Team USA has won 33 medals including 12 golds across the winter events. This puts the United States just behind Norway, with its 41 total medals, in the overall medal count at the 2026 Winter Games.
For full list of medalists, check NBC News’ medal tracker.
The arena's stage design is inspired by a 'drop of water'
It's all about the details.
The Olympics said that tonight's stage design is meant to symbolize "a continuous natural cycle that unites mountains, plains, cities, lagoons, sea and sky."
Water is "essential to winter sports in its solid form," the Olympics says on its webpage detailing information about the closing ceremony. "The stage will eliminate the separation between performers and audience, placing a dynamic Italian-style piazza at its heart, featuring choreographies, reflective surfaces, and scene transformations."
According to Stefania Opipari, the director of the closing ceremony, 80% of the stage is made out of wood, 90% of the lighting fixtures are LED and stage costumes are made from recycled materials or fabrics created for other uses.
What it will look like inside the Verona Olympic Arena tonight
Back in November, the Milan Cortina Instagram account teased a preview of what the Verona Olympic Arena will look like tonight for the closing ceremony.
"Inspired by the beauty of water, Beauty in Action blends tradition and innovation for a ceremony that will stay in everyone’s heart," the post read.
The nearly 2,000-year-old arena, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, will become “the heart of an extraordinary Olympic show.”
On its website, the Olympics elaborated further on the venue choice, calling it an "iconic amphitheatre" that "embodies Italy’s rich cultural heritage, providing an unparalleled setting to conclude an event of global significance. Here, the venue’s illustrious past meets the future of sport, showcasing Italian heritage as the stage for both the Olympic Closing Ceremony and the Paralympic Opening Ceremony."
Evan Bates and Madison Chock are 'ready to celebrate' tonight
Ahead of his Olympic finish as a flag bearer for Team USA, figure skater Evan Bates is reflecting on this year's Winter Games with wife and skating partner Madison Chock.
Bates posted a photo on Threads showing the couple in front of the Olympic rings in their Team USA uniforms. "Ready to celebrate the end of these incredible @olympics!" the caption read.
Today will mark the end of a bittersweet Games for the skating stars and real-life couple, who were instrumental in winning gold for Team USA figure skating but missed out on the individual gold medal by just 1.5 points.
ICYMI: Here are some opening ceremony highlights
It feels like just yesterday we were watching the opening ceremony, much of which took place in Milan. Here's a look at how the Games kicked off.
Protesters hit the streets ahead of closing ceremony
In Verona, in the hours before the Olympic closing ceremony was slated to commence, hundreds of people marched through the streets to protest against the Winter Games’ contributions to environmental problems and housing concerns.
“They built concrete monstrosities like the bobsleigh track, which will serve no purpose,” one protester, Francesca, told Reuters. “Public money has been wasted that could have been used for hydrogeological safety and housing plans.”
One of the banners in the crowd read: “Fewer Games for the few, more homes for everyone.”
La famiglia è tutto: The golden moms and dads of Team USA
What’s better than winning an Olympic medal? Getting a huge hug from your family after winning an Olympic medal. Team USA felt the love in Italy and showed why gold is great, but family is everything.
How much does it cost to attend the closing ceremony?
Even though we're thousands of miles away, curiosity got the best of us: Just how pricey is a ticket to the closing festivities?
According to the Milano Cortina 2026 ticketing website, as of Friday, tickets were going for as low as €3,190 and as high as €6,380, or $3,759.58 to $7,519.15.
These are of course resale prices, as some lucky attendees scored tickets months ago likely for a cheaper rate.
A list of all the expected performances tonight
- Ballet star Roberto Bolle
- Italian DJ Gabry Ponte, of Eiffel 65
- Italian singer Achille Lauro
- Italian actor and model Benedetta Porcaroli
Italy will hand off the Olympic flag to France
Ciao, Italia, bonjour, France!
Tonight, the Olympic flag will be handed off to France, which will host the 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps.
Here's who Trump is sending to the ceremony in his presidential delegation
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump announced that Secretary of Education Linda McMahon would lead a delegation being sent to Italy to attend the closing ceremony. Here's the full delegation list, per a press release from the White House:
—Tilman J. Fertitta, U.S. ambassador to the Italian Republic and the Republic of San Marino, and his spouse, Lauren Fertitta.
—Kelly Loeffler, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration
—Meredith O’Rourke, a senior adviser to Trump
—Bob Book, chairman of Book Capital Enterprises LLC
—Neil Book, chairman, president and CRO of Jet Support Services Inc.
—Trish Duggan, founder of Imagine Museum
—Diane Hendricks, founder and consulting chairman of ABC Supply Co. Inc.
—Ryan Suter, 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympic medalist on the men’s U.S. hockey team
Italian singer Achille Lauro to perform
The artist, who was born in Verona, will take the stage tonight as part of the closing ceremony performances.
The Olympics website describes him as an "icon of contemporary pop culture, whose artistic expression transcends music alone, moving fluidly between fashion, performance art and symbolic imagery."
These Team USA Olympians proved age is just a number
There are five members of Team USA competing at the Olympics who are over 40. Two of them have won medals at the Milan Cortina games: 40-year-old Kaillie Humphries and 41-year old Elana Meyers Taylor. NBC News’ Molly Hunter reports.
Ballet star Roberto Bolle to take center stage
Olympics organizers have tapped Italian ballet dancer Roberto Bolle to headline its closing ceremony.
According to his bio page on the website for Milan's Teatro alla Scala, where Bolle trained, the dancer has been “étoile” since 2004, a title equivalent to principal dancer.
Bolle, who is 50, "has danced in the majors theatres worldwide and with the most prestigious companies, amongst which the American Ballet Theatre, the Ballet of the Opéra de Paris, the Bolshoi Ballet, the Mariinsky-Kirov Ballet and the Royal Ballet," according to Teatro alla Scala.
He's also no stranger to the Olympics or the Verona Arena. He danced during the opening ceremony of the Turin Winter Olympics in February 2006, and his “Roberto Bolle and Friends” annual gala takes place at the Arena.
On Wednesday, he posted a picture to his Instagram story of him stretching in what appears to be the arena.
Here's who will carry the flag for Team USA
Team USA announced Friday that U.S. hockey star Hilary Knight and U.S. ice dancer Evan Bates will carry the flag at the closing ceremony tonight.
Knight, 36, served as captain of the U.S. women’s team, which beat Canada 2-1 in overtime to win the gold medal. The athlete set an all-time U.S. goal-scoring record after she scored her 15th career Olympic goal late in the close game. In addition to making history, she also got engaged to speedskater Brittany Bowe at the Games.
When informed she'd be a flag bearer on the "TODAY" show on Friday, she responded, "Are you serious?"
Hilary Knight and Evan Bates. Getty Images
Bates, 36, won a gold medal in the figure skating team event and silver in ice dance. His skating parter, Madison Chock, who skated 15 seasons with Bates, delivered the news to her husband that he was selected a flag bearer.
He called the honor "humbling" in an interview with "TODAY," adding that there are "so many who are worthy of this honor. It’s hard to describe what it feels like."
He gave a shoutout to Knight, who he said he's done five Olympics with, saying they're "going to be bonded forever" after the experience.
Closing ceremony will acknowledge climate change
Alfredo Accatino, artistic director for the closing ceremony, told The Associated Press that this year's closing ceremony will not just celebrate athletic excellence. It will also highlight the changing planet.
“If the climate continues to change, there won’t be Winter Olympics anymore,” Accatino said.
The theme of this year's closing ceremony is 'Beauty in Action'
Like the opening ceremony, Italy appears ready to lean into its rich culture for the closing celebration.
It will be "a tribute to beauty in motion, in all its forms: present in sport, reflected in art, nourished by human connection, and expressed by the places that host the Games," the Olympics wrote on its website. "It celebrates the connection between mountains and plains, nature and cityscapes."
That means viewers can expect to see opera, music, dance, cinema, design and technology highlighted, "drawing inspiration from Italy’s cultural heritage and contemporary creativity," according to the Olympics website. The event "will reflect the Italian ability to transform aesthetics into emotion."
In a post on X, Christian Klaue, the corporate communications and public affairs director of the IOC, posted a video showcasing what to expect.
What Team USA will be wearing during the closing ceremony
As usual, the American squad will be decked out in Ralph Lauren.
But the closing ceremony uniform differs from what athletes wore during the opening ceremony, featuring more color — including a red jacket.
“The closing ceremony uniform draws inspiration from vintage ski racing kits, featuring a sporty and modern color-blocked puffer jacket with bold Team USA graphics and a wool turtleneck sweater in a patriotic color palette, paired with a crisp white utility pant,” the fashion brand said in a statement to Today.com in December, when the looks were unveiled.
This is now the 10th straight Olympics where Ralph Lauren has outfitted Team USA.
How to watch the closing ceremony
The event kicks off at 2:30 p.m. ET.
It will air live on NBC and stream on NBCOlympics.com and Peacock. For night owls, there will be a prime-time encore presentation at 9 p.m. ET.
And for those of you who want to follow along on a second screen, our NBC News Digital team will be live-blogging all day from here in the U.S.
