Verona’s Roman Arena Hosts 2026 Winter Games Figure-Skating Finale
The 2,000-year-old amphitheater in Verona replaced a conventional ice rink Sunday night to stage the Milano-Cortina figure-skating finale, as athletes carried national flags under torchlight to close the Olympic team event.
Evan Bates Becomes First U.S. Ice-Dance Flag Bearer
Five-time Olympian Evan Bates stepped onto the limestone track as the first American ice dancer—and first U.S. figure skater since 1968—to lead the delegation at a Winter Games closing ceremony. The 31-year-old had just helped the United States secure team gold and, with wife Madison Chock, ice-dance silver. The two medals give Bates the biggest U.S. skating haul of the Games and place him in a ceremonial role last filled by a figure skater when Scott Hamilton opened Lake Placid 1980.
Medalists Lead Flag Parade Under Ancient Arches
Kazakhstan’s men’s champion Mikhail Shaidorov and Japan’s women’s silver medalist Kaori Sakamoto marched first for their countries, followed by pairs medalists carrying Hungarian, Finnish, Estonian, Georgian, Lithuanian, Mexican and Romanian flags. Where federations had not named a bearer, volunteers accepted the flag, erasing the empty-procession gaps that drew criticism at February’s San Siro opening ceremony. The visuals underscored figure skating’s broad reach: athletes from five continents earned medals inside a venue older than any competing nation.
12,000 Spectators Fill Arena Built in 30 A.D.
Organizers seated athletes in the lower bowl, cutting public capacity inside the elliptical arena completed while Rome still ruled the Veneto region. NBC counted 12,000 spectators—the smallest closing-ceremony crowd in modern Winter history—yet sound off the limestone arches matched the volume of larger stadiums. A University of Michigan student paid $200 on a resale site Saturday night; a Japanese supporter who booked in January spent $1,000 for the same travertine step, showing last-minute demand after the U.S. team victory pushed figure skating back into prime time.
Olympic Flag Passes to French Alps 2030
Outgoing IOC president Kirsty Coventry handed the Olympic flag to French Alps 2030 organizers before Italian short-track star Arianna Fontana extinguished the lantern. The cauldron’s darkness is brief: Milano-Cortina re-opens March 6 for the Winter Paralympics, giving adaptive figure-skating disciplines—wheelchair, singles and ice dance—another turn on home ice. Crews will swap the temporary 25-by-60-meter rink installed atop the amphitheater floor for a smaller surface built for para-athletes, keeping logistical teams in the region an extra ten days.
Season Ends Where Empire Once Stood
Sunday’s ceremony closed a campaign that began under spotlights in Shanghai and ended under constellations visible through the arena’s open crown. Skaters lifted partners onto shoulders for final photos, pairing crystal medals against crumbling stone—a contrast broadcasters framed as “old empire, new champions.” The image is expected to anchor Milan’s spring tourism push, while the International Skating Union prepares 2027 rule tweaks to reward quadruple jumps and tougher lifts, ensuring the sport’s technical arms race rolls on long after the torches left Verona.
[IMAGE_PLACEHOLDER_0]
[IMAGE_PLACEHOLDER_1]
[IMAGE_PLACEHOLDER_2]
Quick Travel & Planning Notes
- Paralympic travel: Hotel rates around Lake Como are still 30 percent below February peaks and train schedules are set through March 15.
- French Alps 2030: Early-bird ticket registration opens this summer; sign-ups from today receive first-come priority.
- New ISU rules: Download the updated scale-of-values PDF before next season’s Grand Prix to see added quad-jump bonuses.
- Verona tours: Post-Games arena visits restart April 1 at €10 winter pricing, half the summer rate.
Source: Original reporting
Comments