sports
February 7, 2026
A Very Retro Olympics Opening Ceremony
The performance in Milan looked squarely at the past, both in substance and in style.
TL;DR
- Recent Olympics opening ceremonies have tended to be technologically focused, resembling keynotes or festivals.
- The 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics opening ceremony was notably retro, drawing heavily on Italy's past.
- The ceremony included reenactments of historical sculptures, tributes to classical composers, and references to Italian cinema and culture.
- Production elements like lighting, music, and choreography were also traditional and could have been produced decades ago.
- Protests against government policies and the cost of the Games occurred before the ceremony, highlighting contemporary issues.
- The reliance on artificial snow and concerns about cost overruns for future Games underscore the challenges of maintaining ancient institutions in a changing world.
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