Winter Olympics 2026 LIVE: Milano Cortina Games come to an end with closing ceremony in Verona

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Hours before the curtain officially fell on Milano Cortina 2026, hundreds of protesters took to Verona’s streets in a rally against the housing costs and environmental concerns linked to the event.

Marching behind a banner with the words ‘Olimpiadi no grazie’ (Olympics, no thanks” in English), the protest was organised by university students and associations who oppose the Winter Olympics, which they say deepens social inequality and pours concrete onto fragile land.

“We are here to defend our territory from speculation… and from the impossible cost of attending events,” 76-year-old activist Giannina Dal Bosco said, according to Reuters.

Other protesters criticised public money being invested on Olympic venues that won’t be used after the event instead of housing.

Arena di Verona, the ancient Roman amphitheatre where the closing ceremony is being held, is slightly smaller than Milan’s San Siro Stadium – 22,000 seats compared to 76,000 – which means tickets to the closing ceremony are harder to snag, and re-sellers are taking full advantage.

On Friday, according to the Milano Cortina 2026 ticketing website, tickets were going as low as €3190 ($5317), and some as high as €6380 ($10,634). That’s a minimum of $2658.5 per hour of the event.

Staging an Olympic event can be hit or miss for host cities financially. Milano Cortina 2026’s operating budget, for example, blew out from $US1.3 billion ($1.8 billion) to $US1.7 billion ($2.4 billion), and that’s separate to other public infrastructure costs, such as venue construction, which, per Reuters, included $US3.5 billion ($5 billion) in public money.

Early estimates suggested Milano Cortina 2026 would drive an economic impact of €5.3 billion ($9 billion) in Italy. A demonstration in Milan on the Winter Olympics’ first day drew nearly 10,000 protesters and turned violent.

1. Penis-gate: There’s no beating it, and apparently there’s no denying. Penis-gate is real, and it’s plagued the 2026 Olympics as ski-jumpers were accused of enlarging their crotches with hyaluronic acid injections.
2. Cheating Norwegian biathlete: When Sturla Holm Lægreid used his bronze medal victory to make a desperate public appeal to the ex-girlfriend he cheated on in hopes of winning her back, I think the entire universe collectively rolled their eyes. It’s been one of the biggest stories of the Games, and not for the right reasons.
3. Cheating allegations in curling: That’s right, more cheating (allegations), but of a different kind. The well-mannered sport of curling was given a bad name at Milano Cortina, as tensions boiled over when Sweden accused Canada of cheating. And, in case you missed it, Canada won gold yesterday.
4. Nazgul, the dog: A surprise participant in the Milano Cortina 2026 action had four legs and zero concern for race times. It was local dog Nazgul, who escaped from her home nearby and crossed the finish line in the women’s cross-country team sprint.
5. Let the Minion man skate: This was a pre-Games controversy, but it worked out just fine in the end. Spanish figure skater Tomàs-Llorenç Guarino Sabaté, who has been dancing to the music of well-known children’s film Minions, was told by Universal Pictures that he couldn’t use the music. Community outrage and good old social media fixed that, and the man was eventually allowed to skate to it again.

There’s no doubt that Milano Cortina 2026 has been an amazing Olympics, but there are always going to be some things that stick with you more than others.

Beyond a shadow, one of the most unforgettable moments was Lindsey Vonn’s crash. I’ve never experienced anything quite like it, as a collective gasp echoed throughout the media centre.

There’s also the devastation of watching Jakara Anthony slip from the course to deny back-to-back gold medals in the women’s moguls, only to watch her put it behind her and win gold in the dual moguls three days later.

But if we’re talking about highlights, I can’t go past Cooper Woods’ gold medal in the men’s moguls.

Olympic champion Cooper Woods.Credit: Getty Images

Milano Cortina is my first Olympics for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, and there’s something special about watching someone win gold, in person, for the first time.

As I stood in the mixed zone, waiting for Woods’ score to come up on the big screen, I was next to his aunt, who works as a reporter for another Australian media outlet. The moment his score came up beside No.1 is a moment I won’t forget for the rest of my life.

“Let’s go!“: Cooper Woods celebrates after winning gold at the men’s moguls final.Credit: Getty Images

What makes it even better is what a great guy Woods is. Last night, as we were having a team dinner in Livigno, Woods walked into the restaurant.

Rather than put his head down and ignore us, he came over to say hi, recognising the crop of Aussie reporters and TV crew who had interviewed him so many times over the past two weeks.

He gave us all a hug, and thanked us for everything we had done during the Olympics. Cooper Woods, a good dude, and an Olympic gold medallist.

Remember how the Olympics were split into three clusters?

If you need a refresher, they were Livigno, Milan and Cortina.

As we near the start of the opening ceremony, our Australian athletes from Milan and Cortina are already in Verona, ready to march for the nation.

The closing ceremony arena in Verona.Credit: AP

But where are the Livigno athletes ... aka, all the medal-winners and the two flag bearers?

Word on the street is that the bus might be a little late, and we’ve seen some videos of heavy traffic heading into Verona.

It’s a race against the clock. Who carries the flag if Cooper Woods and Danielle Scott can’t get to Verona on time?

Apparently, Australia aren’t the only ones running a little late. USA and Sweden are doing outfit changes in the chilly Italian air due to the tight turnaround.

For Australia, there is plenty to remember from these Games – the records, the medals and the history being made.

But on an international scale, American skier Lindsey Vonn was the biggest story of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Her pre-Games ACL tear, her determination to compete, the defiant press conference, the sickening crash, and the multiple surgeries that have since followed.

Vonn was the athlete who stopped, and captivated, the Games.

Good morning, readers, and welcome to our live coverage of the closing ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

It’s been a fantastic few weeks for Australia across the Italian Alps, and now, it all comes to an end.

Billie Eder and Vince Rugari here, from Hotel Margherita – aka, the Livigno bureau – while Jake Niall is at Olympic Stadium in Verona, and Bronte Gossling is holding down the fort in Sydney.

The action kicks-off at 6am AEDT, 8pm if you’re joining us here in Italy.

Cooper Woods and Danielle Scott will carry the flag for Australia tonight following their contributions to Australia’s greatest-ever Winter Olympic Games.

Cooper Woods and Danielle Scott will carry the flag for Australia at the closing ceremony.Credit: