I’ve asked my Institute colleague Anthony Vecchione to share his impressions of the recent 2026 Winter Olympics, competitions aside. The opening and closing ceremonies accentuated Italian art and music, not to mention ingenuity. –BDC

At the closing ceremony of the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry complimented the host country, Italy, for its pageantry, creativity, and graciousness. She said that Italians delivered a new kind of Winter Games, by setting, “a new, very high standard for the future.” She went on:

“To our gracious hosts, the Italian people, thank you for opening your hearts. The arenas were full, the cheers loud, the atmosphere electric. You celebrated your champions, and you cheered for athletes of every nation. Showing that passion and respect can live side by side.”

She thanked the Italians in both English and Italian, “Mille grazie.” She also praised Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Italian President Sergio Mattarella for their leadership.

Coventry added: “To the number one supporters of Team Italy, his excellency President Sergio Mattarella. To the government and the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. To the regional leaders, the mayors, and host communities, thank you for sharing the best of Italy with the world. From Alpine Villages to elegant cities, and snow-covered mountains, your warmth, your hospitality, your passion, made every single one of us feel at home.”

Giovanni Malago, the President of Milano Cortina 2026 Organizing Committee, was articulate, elegant, and erudite. He lauded the Italian athletes and all the volunteers, who he said made Italians everywhere proud. Malago praised Italy for fulfilling its commitments, stating, “Well done, Italy. You kept your promises!”

Inside Arena di Verona, which the Romans built 2,000 years ago, the Milan Cortina Olympics closing ceremony paid homage to Italian dance and music, including Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Rigoletto.

The media coverage of the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics was a welcome change compared to most of the stories the American press usually publishes about Italy, which are typically about the Mafia or political corruption. Like heat-seeking missiles, American journalists tend to gravitate toward negative stories about Italy.  And of course, those negative stories, ad nauseam, end up being fodder for late night talk show hosts and comedians.

But the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics presented the media with a different story. A story they couldn’t ignore.  A positive story about a country, culture, and people that are clearly the opposite of those negative depictions and stereotypes that have become acceptable.

The Italians should indeed be proud of what they have accomplished in Milan.

Perhaps this will mark a turning point in how Italy is presented to the world by the media. –AV