The 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milan and Cortina are just one month away and the Olympic and local Committees are putting the final touches on the venues and the gala event of the opening ceremony.
One of those final touches is the announcement that award winning performer Mariah Carey will be a part of the opening ceremony. Carey is the first of the international stars named to appear in the ceremony on February 6 at the San Siro Stadium in Milan.
The six time Grammy Award winning artist has performed the National Anthem prior to the Super Bowl in 2002 at the Superdome in New Orleans but she has never been a part of the halftime entertainment.
Speaking on Carey, the committee said, “Mariah Carey
fully represents the emotional atmosphere that accompanies the run-up to the Games. Music is a universal language that attracts different stories and sensibilities, and intertwines with the opening ceremony’s theme of harmony.”
Revealing little information so far, the committee has announced that the opening ceremonies will include a tribute to Italian Giorgio Armani who died at his Milan home at the age of 91 last September.
With the Winter Games spread all across northern Italy, three smaller opening ceremonies in mountain clusters are also planned.
San Siro Stadium is the home of the Inter Milan and AC Milan football teams. At the conclusion of The Games, the stadium will be torn down and a new one will be built.
Looking ahead, ballet star Roberto Bolle will be a part of the closing ceremonies at the ancient Roman Arena in Verona on February 22.