NOTE: History is always changing – or rather our knowledge of historical events change when new evidence is discovered. The information below is accurate on the date of publication. Further research may reveal information which changes or replaces some of the details. Check later postings to keep up to date by selecting “Olympics” in the search box or the tag list.
There was little overt acknowledgement of the lgbt community in the Milan Cortina opening and closing Olympic ceremonies. This was a refreshing change from the blatant virtue signalling of some previous ceremonies (such as Paris 2024). What acknowledgement the ceremonies did contain were championed by the diverse cast members and performers who were treated like everyone else, as an equal participant, not an exhibit to justify “inclusion”
But there were some examples on our community being involved for something other than their gender or sexuality – their talent and desire to provide a good ceremony.
FASHION AND COSTUME
We’ll begin with what has become a frequent element in an Olympic ceremony, a fashion catwalk. I wrote about the first official Olympic fashion show last week, and figure skating has always had a large element of fashion in the costumes. Today we’ll concentrate on fashion in the ceremonies.
There are three categories of fashion that I apply to Olympic ceremonies. These are: 1) a specific fashion-based segment involving some form of catwalk; 2) costumes worn by performers and participants; and 3) outfits worn by the athletes in their entry parade. All categories have had contributions from prominent lgbt fashion designers in the past.
For category 1, there have been several catwalk elements in previous opening ceremonies, including Italy’s previous Winter Olympic Games in Turin 2006. The Italian national flags on both occasions were brought into the stadium by a famous model in a dress specially designed by that same well-known designer, the late Giorgio Armani (1934-2025). Model Vittoria Ceretti entered the Milan stadium carrying the Italian flag and wearing a white Armani dress. Model Carla Bruni performed the same duty in Turin 2006. Preceding Vittoria Ceretti were rows of models in three columns in Armani trouser suits in the colours of the Italian flag – Red, white and green.
In category 2 we had another flag-bearer. This time it was a boxer from Paris 2024 and the first member of the Refugee team to become Olympic champion, Cindy Ngamba (b.1998). She was one of the 8 escorts carrying the Olympic flag into the stadium. Armani designed their costumes as well. There were no other known openly lgbt fashion or costume designers in either the 2026 opening or closing ceremonies.
Several designers contributed to some of category 3’s athletes outfits. We encounter Armani again. As he has done many times, Armani designed the outfits worn by the Italian team. Team GB’s outfits included knitted scarves and hats designed by Olympic diver Tom Daley (b.1994).
Shortly after the entry of the Italian flag a poem by Count Giacomo Leopardi (1798-1837) was recited. I’d like to digress a little here. Leopardi is one of Italy’s greatest poets and philosophers, if not their greatest during the 19th century. For a long time there has been speculation and debate about his sexuality, ignited by romantic comments made in his letters to his friend Antonio Ranieri.
Although we will never know for sure, I tend to agree with the prominent Italian gay historian, Milan-born Giovanni Dall’Orto (b.1958) who believes Leopardi was gay. You can read Dall’Orto’s reasoning here.
THE ATHLETE’S PARADE
For the second time in a row, the athlete’s parade departed from the traditional. For Paris 2024 the parade was moved onto the River Seine in a flotilla of boats. For Milan the parade was spilt across four locations. Being the first official multi-location Olympics not every athlete could make it to the opening ceremony if they were expected to start competing the next morning. If you saw the opening ceremony you would have noticed how many nations did not parade in Milan but elsewhere. The format seems to have worked well, and it is possible that it will be copied at future games now that the International Olympic Committee is moving away from single host cities to a multi-city, host region format.
Bearers of the national flags are always a highly regarded honour for the athlete chosen. In Milan only one lgbt athlete was chosen. She was Nicole Silveira (b.1994), representing Brazil in skeleton racing, who carried the flag in Cortina. The only other flag-bearer at the opening ceremony was the above-mentioned Cindy Ngamba.
The final contribution at the opening ceremony was by Paolo Egonu (b.1998), who carried the Olympic torch in the stadium with two fellow Olympic handball champions for Italy from Paris 2024.
This brings us to the cauldron, or rather cauldrons, because I’m sure you were aware that there were two cauldron that were lit. Their design was inspired by knot-work featured in art by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), whose legacy in Milan was covered in the previous article.
A lot has been said in the media about Milan Cortina 2026 being the first to have two cauldrons. Those of us who are Olympic nerds know this is not entirely true. However, It is the first time two cauldrons have been lit during the same opening ceremony in different cities immediately one after the other. As far as the Winter Olympic goes, the Innsbruck 2012 Youth Olympics had three cauldron lit one after the other, but they were in the same venue to celebrate Innsbruck being the first city to host three Olympics Games (1964, 1976 and 2012). The 2024 Summer Olympics had two cauldrons lit in different cities – Paris and Tahiti. In fact, two cauldrons have been lit before (Helsinki 1952, Melbourne-Stockholm 1956). Often the stadium cauldron has been temporary and a permanent one was lit elsewhere (Vancouver 2010, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022). An honourable mention goes to London 2012 who had mini-cauldrons for each competing nation that joined together to form one single flame. This was extinguished after the ceremony and relit after it was moved from the centre of the stadium to one end. This photo below (copyright Colin Bilton) shows me at the London 2012 Paralympic Games and the Paralympic cauldron in the position it also occupied during the Olympics.
THE CLOSING CEREMONY
Only a handful of lgbt participants took part in the closing ceremony. Let’s start with more flags. Unlike the lone lgbt national flag carrier at the opening ceremony, the closing ceremony had three, all chosen by their fellow athletes for their athletic achievements. They were Tineke den Dulk (Belgium), Martina Sablikova (Czech Republic), and Hilary Knight (USA).
After the ceremonial entry of the Italian flag there was segment featuring gay ballet dancer Roberto Bolle (b.1975). He would return at the end of the closing ceremony as one of the principal performers who symbolically extinguished a group of candelabras which represented the extinguishing of the Olympic flame. As mentioned last time, Roberto had taken part in the torch relay. Roberto had also performed in the opening ceremony of the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics, the only performer to have featured in both Italian host ceremonies.
A new element was introduced into the Milan ceremony, and it happened twice. At the raising of the Italian flag at the start of the ceremony, all of the Italian medallists paraded into the stadium and stood by the flag poles. There were no lgbt athletes among them, but later on during the handover section from Milan to the French Alps (host of the 2030 Winter Olympics), there was one among the French medallists who stood in a circle in the middle of the arena. He was the only gay male Olympic champion of Milan 2026, Guillaume Cizeron (b.1994) who, with his ice dance partner won the gold medal. He is also the only male lgbt athlete who successfully defended his title from Beijing 2022.
I can’t help but think that this element may have been partly inspired by a similar event in the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics. On that occasion there were 260 British summer and winter Olympic medallists, some from the London 1948 Olympics, who formed a tribune of honour for the six young athletes who would light the cauldron.
As usual, the closing ceremony ended with a party. Among the DJs was Thomas Pentz (b.1978), aka Diplo, who once described himself as “not not gay”. This Grammy-winning performer and music producer has worked with many international stars over the years. For the Milan ceremony he teamed up with his fellow members of his electronic dance group Major Lazer.
And that rounds up the ceremonies of the Milan Cortina Olympics 2026. All that remains for me to do is finish the analysis of the all the sporting results and that’ll be it until Los Angeles 2028. This analysis has been delayed a couple of weeks because I have had some personal issues I needed to deal with. Hopefully, I’ll have it all ready for you by Easter.
