Milan, Italy (Xinhua/Indonesia Window) - Italian President Sergio Mattarella declared the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games open on Friday (Feb. 6).

For the first time, the Winter Olympics opening ceremony is staged in two cities - Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo - while the athletes' parade takes place across four locations: Milan, Livigno, Predazzo and Cortina. The expanded format echoes the opening ceremony's theme, 'Armonia,' or harmony in English, emphasizing connection between territories and people.

Milan-Cortina 2026 marks the third time that Italy has hosted the Winter Olympics, following Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1956 and Turin in 2006.

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