MILAN — Appropriately, and with good timing, the theme of the opening ceremony to the 2026 Winter Olympics on Friday night was “Armonia,” which in English translates to “Harmony.”
To play that out a little, and to borrow from the script to these 2026 Games, “Armonia” is a Greek derivative that speaks to “bringing together what is different.” It’s a narrative “… that unites territories, people and values with a shared vision.”
Can we all agree the world is sorely in need of this little nudge on the shoulder? Caterwaul if you must about all that bothers you about the Olympics — the commercialism, the politics, the pop-up controversies — but the opening ceremony remains an exercise in all that is good about sport and its power to inspire, to dream, to lift up yourself, to lift up others. And, who knows, to maybe think a little. Sports can do that. Think about Jackie Robinson in 1947.
Sure, the execution of that effort in an Olympic opening ceremony can tilt to cornball. Or it can deliver beauty that moves the senses in such a way that all but makes you want to cry, which is what was on display Friday night.
This isn’t to say politics didn’t make a guest appearance. Of course that happened. Consider the rousing ovation bestowed upon Ukraine’s 46 athletes, who are representing a country that has been severely hurt by Russia’s nearly four-year-old invasion. Rooting for the underdog is still a thing, clearly, and it was the underdog that thousands of Olympic fans were rooting for Friday night. I won’t disrespect one valiant nation’s goals and aspirations with, say, the goals and aspirations of Olympic athletes. But on a night of messaging, those cheers for Ukraine were bold and powerful.
Consider, too, the smattering of boos that could be heard when the United States delegation was introduced, with the jeering going up several notches when Vice President JD Vance appeared on screen. The organizers of the 2026 Olympics opening ceremony delivered a message of Armonia in their fashion, and the thousands of fans who attended the ceremony — some of them, anyway — provided their own interpretation of Armonia.
When it came to the messaging from political and Olympic leaders, Sergio Mattarella, the Italian president, came across as a sturdy, blue-collar sports fan when he said: “I love my country, I love sports, I love the Olympics movement.”
And then he spoke to the world.
“At a time when so much of the world is divided by conflict,” Mattarella said, “your very presence illustrates that unity is possible.”
Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, the president of the International Olympic Committee and herself a former Olympic athlete, spoke directly to the Olympians of 2026 when she said: “Strength isn’t just about winning. It’s about courage, and empathy, and heart.”
She, too, spoke to the world.
“In Africa, where I am from, we have a word, ubuntu. It means, ‘I am, because we are.’”
Before the 2007-08 NBA season, Doc Rivers, then the coach of the Boston Celtics, learned that very word while attending an alumni meeting at his alma mater, Marquette University. He then introduced it to his players, who went on to win the NBA championship. Nice touch by Coventry to introduce it to the world, and on this stage.
This was the first time the opening ceremony for the Winter Games was held at multiple locations, with Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo and a connect-the-dots collection of mountain locations sharing the world stage. It was all in keeping with another usage of Armonia, that being the organizers’ desire to create a “harmonious journey through the country’s colors and imagery, reflecting the intersection between city and mountain, man and nature, past and future.”
Giant paint tubes are seen as performers dance during the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina Olympics at San Siro Stadium in Milan. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
But center stage was at century-old Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, or, as it’s being called throughout this month, Milano San Siro Olympic Stadium, where a pre-ceremony video titled “Italian Armonia: Beauty” lived up to its premise.
Beginning with a duet that told the story of Cupid and Psyche, it was an absolute wowzer. The lighting was inspiring without being blinding. The ballet dancers from the Accademia del Teatro alla Scala displayed an athleticism as impressive as anything you’ll see on the medal platforms over the next three weeks. The special effects were over the top with oversized floating paint tubes oozing vivid primary colors upon the happy, festive dancers down below. When the primary colors coalesced with the dedicated dancers, all sorts of other colors emerged. Long live diversity!
And come on: Mariah Carey delivering a medley that included a moving, stop-you-in-your-tracks rendition of the Domenico Modugno classic “Nel Blu, dipinto di Blu” — known to we Americans as “Volare” — and her own song “Nothing Is Impossible” is enough to make you want the world to keep on keeping on.
A rendition of the Symphony of Fantasia included three characters meant to represent three masters of Italian opera — Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini and Gioachino Rossini — but, to be honest, they looked a little like the dueling mascots from The Presidents Race at Washington Nationals home games.
But that’s OK. It just means that spring training is right around the corner.
For now, there’s the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The torch has been lit.
Let the Games begin.