Winter Olympics: Closing ceremony live

DW News · Feb 22, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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Skip next section What you need to knowWhat you need to know The 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics come to a close at the Verona Olympic Arena this evening. Norway topped the medal table, followed by the USA, the Netherlands, Italy and Germany. The next Olympics will be in Los Angeles in 2028. Skip next section Closing ceremony for 2026 Olympics beginsFebruary 22, 2026Closing ceremony for 2026 Olympics beginsAnd we're off! The stunning Verona Arena is ready and starts in a fashion familiar to it, with an operatic performance getting things going in front of an audience mostly wrapped up in disposable ponchos. https://p.dw.com/p/59DpRSkip next section European nations dominate Winter Olympic medal tableFebruary 22, 2026European nations dominate Winter Olympic medal tableAs mentioned earlier, there was a distinctly European feel to the top of the medal table. Aside from the US in 2nd and Japan in 10th, the rest of the top 10 on the table were European nations. While we wait for the ceremony to begin, it might be a good time to look at our stories on how big a difference hosting has made for the Italians and the German ski jumper who overcame a fear of heights to win gold. https://p.dw.com/p/59DpQSkip next section Final weekend brings protests and PR gaffesFebruary 22, 2026Final weekend brings protests and PR gaffesEven at this late stage, there have been a couple of significant news lines from the Games’ final weekend. On Saturday, the IOC cleared FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who is also an IOC member, saying he had not broken the Olympic Charter's neutrality requirement by donning a red MAGA-style USA hat at the first meeting of Donald Trump’s Board of Peace earlier in the week. IOC chief Kirsty Coventry said she didn’t even know Infantino was an IOC member when pressed ahead of the decision during a press conference where she admitted she "wasn't aware" of a number of issues which face her organization. Then, on Sunday, ahead of the closing ceremony, protesters took the streets of Verona to object to having had the Games in their region. Hundreds of people marched through Verona just hours before the ceremony was set to start to protest against housing costs and environmental concerns linked to the Winter Games. The "Olympics? No thanks" rally was organised by university groups and others that oppose hosting an event they say disrupts forests, pours concrete onto fragile land and deepens social inequality. https://p.dw.com/p/59DpPSkip next section Politics and sport prove tough to separate at 2026 OlympicsFebruary 22, 2026Politics and sport prove tough to separate at 2026 OlympicsWhile there have been countless sporting achievements, there have also been plenty of moments during this Games where the spotlight was away from the events. Perhaps the biggest was the IOC decision to ban Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych from wearing a helmet that featured images of Ukrainian athletes killed during Russia's war on Ukraine. Heraskevych told DW moments after his disqualification was announced that: "If (the) IOC reacts in a way with common sense, we will not have this terrible scandal now. And then there is much less politics in this competition and also much more attention (being paid) to the athletes in the competition now."Ukraine's skeleton star slams Olympic ban over helmetTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The new boss of the IOC, Kirsty Coventry had tears down her eyes when announcing the decision, admitting that it was " a message of memory and no one is disagreeing with that" but confirming it broke IOC rules. There were also protests against the presence of American ICE agents, a British skier urinating a profanity against Donald Trump in the snow and the decision, announced during these Games, that Russian athletes can compete under their national flag at the upcoming Paralympics. https://p.dw.com/p/59DpOSkip next section What to expect from the Olympic closing ceremonyFebruary 22, 2026What to expect from the Olympic closing ceremonyOrganizers the IOC have promised to tell the story of Italy through a "tapestry of music, art, and storytelling," adding that the ceremony will showcase "not only athletic excellence, but also Italian cultural identity and innovation." Performers include Italian singer and rapper Achille Lauro, award-winning Roman actress Benedetta Porcaroli and Italian DJ Gabry Ponte. As with the opening ceremony earlier this month, each nation — with a handful of exceptions — will have chosen athletes to be their flagbearers. In Germany’s case this will be Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt. The pair became the country’s most successful Winter Olympians by each winning a seventh gold in luge. https://p.dw.com/p/59DpNSkip next section Welcome to our Winter Olympics closing ceremony coverage!February 22, 2026Welcome to our Winter Olympics closing ceremony coverage!Hello and welcome to DW’s live blog of the 2026 Winter Olympics closing ceremony. After 17 days of skiing, sliding, jumping and curling, the USA defeated neighbors Canada to win the last of 116 gold medals at Milan-Cortina. That left the US second on the medal table, six behind Norway whose Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won six on his own, becoming the most successful Winter Olympian of all time in the process. With the sport over, it will soon be time for the curtain to officially come down on the Games. The closing ceremony will take place at the Verona Olympic Arena, a beautifully preserved ancient amphitheater built in 30AD and is scheduled to start at 20:30 CET and run for somewhere approaching three hours. https://p.dw.com/p/59DpIShow more posts