Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics Open
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
The Milan-Cortina 2026 Opening Ceremony embodied Harmony in action, uniting city and mountains, people and nature, through a bold dual-city, multi-venue design. Real-time connections, shared rituals and iconic performances from Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli turned Italy’s geography into one stage, proving that a sustainable, distributed Olympics can strengthen unity, respect and legacy while celebrating Italian excellence under the banner of Harmony and shared values.
Establishment-critical narrative
Despite claims of harmony, the 2026 Opening Ceremony felt disconnected and empty, with weak energy in a barely filled arena and a sedate, been-there approach that paled in comparison to Paris's bold vision. The sprawling seven-zone format created the most geographically disconnected Olympics ever, while political tensions over ICE agents and Greenland, plus jeers for VP Vance, boos for Israel, and Russian athletes barred, exposed deep divisions that no amount of editing magic could bridge.