2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony: The 2026 Winter Olympics kicked off on Friday with a dazzling opening ceremony in Italy. Celebrating Italy’s culture and history to honour the global participants, stars like Mariah Carey headlined the opening ceremony of the $1.6 billion event. Athletes from around the world, from the US to India, filled Milan’s San Siro Stadium for the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony.
In fact, there were parts of the opening ceremony which took place across three locations, Cortina, Predazzo, and Livigno. An ode to Italian history, the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony also honoured the late haute couturier Giorgio Armani through a special segment. Here are some details you may have missed at the Winter Olympics 2026 opening ceremony:
Did Mariah Carey lip-sync her 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony performance?
Dressed in diamonds, Mariah Carey wore Roberto Cavalli to honour the Italian fashion houses for her 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony performance. Combining a medley of ‘Volare’ and ‘Nothing is Impossible’, the Grammy winner impressed fans with her perfect Italian. From Cavalli’s ‘Ray of Gold’ collection, Carey wore over 300 carats of natural emerald-cut diamonds.
However, the singer-songwriter was also accused of ‘lip-syncing’ her way through the Winter Olympics 2026 opening ceremony. While there have been no confirmations about these allegations, netizens were quick to notice a possible lag. While trolling her performance, they claimed that Carey ‘looked bored’. Comments like “Mariah Carey looks bored of lip syncing. This could be remedied by actually singing”, and “When was the last time Mariah Carey didn’t lip sync a performance? Doing it in Italian is a new twist,” flooded the internet.
An ode to Italian history
The 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony was a musical evening, featuring dancers and bright colours that represented the soul of Italian history. In the opening dance, dancers dressed as angels evoked ‘Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss’, a sculpture by Italian artist Antonia Canova.
The musical performance took a creative turn as dancers dressed as musical notes entered the stage. In fact, the act was a tribute to Italian opera composers Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, and Gioachino Rossini. Colourful dance troops, featured in vibrant costumes, capture the essence of Italian art, fashion, cuisine, and architecture. Some performers even dressed as moka pots, the coffee makers made in Italy.
Models also walked the ramp, dressed in the colours of the Italian flag in Giorgio Armani suits. Designers like Moncler, Stella Jean, Tom Daley, and Ralph Lauren also dressed the athletes from around the world.