"The first two Olympic Flames" are active in Milan and Cortina. "The Winter Olympics are finally here." Korea's 22nd position 'Kisoo Cha Jun-hwan and Park Ji-woo' (Roundup)

*This content was translated by AI.

For the first time ever, the 2026 Milan and Cortina D'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, named after the two cities, have opened a spectacular event. The competition, which was held under the theme of "harmony," marked the beginning of the 17-day festival, with two torch poles ignited at the same time for the first time in Olympic history.

It is the third time in 20 years that Italy will host the Winter Olympics after Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1956 and Turin in 2006. Including the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, it is the fourth Olympics to be held in Italy.

This competition will avoid the construction of new stadiums and utilize existing facilities with "sustainability" as its core value. As a result, the tournament will be divided into six regions, including Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. The ice events will be held in Milan, and the snow and sled events will be centered on Cortina d'Ampezzo, with a distance of 400 kilometers between the two cities.

Reflecting these geographical characteristics, the opening ceremony was also divided and held for the first time in history. It is also the first time in Olympic history that the names of the two cities have been added to the official name of the Olympics, and that flames have burned at the same time in the two Olympic staves. The torch was set up in Milan's "Arch of Peace" and Cortina d'Ampezzo's "Divona Square," respectively.

The organizing committee set the theme of the competition as "Armonia," the Italian word for "harmony," and emphasized the meaning of distributed hosting.

The opening ceremony ceremony was opened with a performance based on the motif of "Cupid and Psyche" by 16th-century sculptor Antonio Canova. It was followed by a stage honoring Italy's opera masters, including Verdi, Puccini and Rossini, and a historical parade encompassing the Roman and Renaissance periods. Pop star Mariah Carey's celebratory performance also followed.

After the positions of President Sergio Mattarella and IOC President Kirsty Coventry, a time was arranged to commemorate Giorgio Armani, a fashion great who died last year. The opening ceremony was transformed into a runway, and models filled the stage in green, white and red costumes, the colors of the Italian flag.

The national flag of the host country was raised by model Vitoria Ceretti (Milano) and former cross-country national players (Cortina D'Ampezzo).

The entry of the 92 participating teams was made simultaneously in four regions, including Milan's San Siro Stadium, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Livigno and Fredacho. The South Korean team entered in the 22nd order with figure skating Cha Jun-hwan and speed skating Park Ji-woo as joint riders. A total of 50 South Korean athletes, including 35 athletes and 15 executives, attended the opening ceremony divided into four venues according to the venue of each event. Host Italy entered 92nd, the last according to custom.

At the official event that followed, speeches by Giovanni Margot, chairman of the organizing committee, and Coventry, chairman of the IOC, and President Mattarella's declaration of the opening were held. The Olympic flag entered amid Andrea Bocelli's celebratory performance. Representative riders of each continent, including Eliud Kipchoge and Pita Taupatofua, carried the Olympic flag from Milan, and Franco Nones and others from Cortina d'Ampezzo.

After Charlize Theron's message of peace and the singing of Olympic hymns by Lang Lang and Cecilia Bartoli, the highlight was the ignition of the torch. The final runners who lit the old torch, inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's sketches, were the legends of Italian winter sports. Alberto Tumba and Deborah Compagnoni in Milan, and Sofia Goza, an active skier in Cortina d'Ampezzo, were the ignitors.

The competition will compete for a total of 116 gold medals in eight sports and 16 sub-sports until the 22nd. South Korea has sent a total of 130 athletes and aims to win three gold medals and rank 10th in the overall standings.

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*This content was translated by AI.