Bear

i'm not sure yet, it should be defined closer to January when the registration opens

The two stadium concept is still on for the Opening Ceremony. It's the Closing Ceremony that'll be solely focused on LA Memorial (which was announced like 4 months ago so I'm not sure why the OC Register is treating it like it's brand new information)

Following the handover in Verona, the Olympic Flag will arrive in Albertville on February 23, alongside the French medalists of the Milano Cortina 2026, as a tribute to the Albertville 1992 legacy.

The Olympic Closing Ceremony is entitled Beauty in Action. The stage design was also revealed: The Ceremony will not be confined to just the Arena, either: https://www.olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026/news/closing-ceremony-of-the-milano-cortina-2026-olympic-winter-games-to-be-a-tribute-to-beauty-in-action

Info on the Olympic Closing Ceremony is imminent as their Instagram account is repeating the same pattern as the Opening Ceremony teasers...

I agree. Personally I would prefer Pritzker over many of the names being thrown around right now, but I'm still hopeful that a good progressive can come up so we don't have to choose a billionaire haha

ill support it 🥹

I agree, I have zero intention of ever voting for him again, in whatever office he runs for. I genuinely hope the Democrats don't commit the error of making him the nominee if he chooses to run... Coming back to his proposition, I honestly had reservations voting for it, as it goes directly against my beliefs and personal politics. But I also can't deny the imminent risk posed by Texas' plan, so I'm hoping it works out in the end. Yeahhh I wouldn't have said this out loud, it's giving Trump supporter mentality I won't continue to fight you on this, though. It is your city, and regardless of who you voted for and who won, I hope that the city can continue to evolve for the better for yourself, and for all of the people who live there

The other options were a Republican, and a sex pest endorsed by Trump. I think New York chose correctly I voted in favor of Prop 50. The way I saw it was either a Yes or a No was a gamble. Vote yes and immediately destroy a core aspect of democracy in an attempt to save it in the long run, or vote no to preserve that core aspect yet risk letting it get destroyed in the long run. Fortunately this altered electoral map is only in effect for 5 years before resetting ahead of the 2030 Census, so it's not permanent. Though it does set a not-great precedent... at least it was done by the voters and not our politicians like in Texas?

Good job, New York! Hopefully someone can step up here in LA so we can follow suit next year...

We have our team! Ben Winston will serve as Executive Producer and Creative Director, and Scott Givens will serve as Executive Producer - Production. Winston's Fulwell Entertainment and Givens' FiveCurrents will merge as FulFive, which will serve as the production company for the Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies. The company will be led by Givens and Ryann Lauckner. https://la28.org/en/newsroom/la28-announces-production-team-and-company-for-opening-and-closing-ceremonies.html

It will be the latter. "I think this is really powerful, because when you were in the previous editions of the Games, you never had that feeling. You knew that those that were on the field of play that night were mainly the ice hockey players and the skaters. All the others in the mountains could not participate. Well this time around, it’s the full delegation, and you will recognize the faces on camera, because it will cut to all of them. Now, from a timing standpoint, it will have to be like a Swiss clock. But no reason for it not to work."

@Durban Sandshark Do you know if Telemundo will be offering Spanish-language coverage of the Games in the US, like they did for Paris?

Regarding the production for the Olympic Opening Ceremony's parade of nations being distributed across various locations: That’s in one segment in particular, which is pretty long, but it’s also where you have those national prides that kick in. It’s the athletes entering the stadium, except that here it’s the athletes entering the stadiums, or the venues — plural — because you will have a production that cuts from Milano to Cortina, Cortina to etc., for a delegation, to give that feeling that, yes, you are in Milano, but the Games span to Cortina and the rest of it. You see it through the delegation, and it’s one unique delegation that goes behind the flag. It’s going to be super dynamic because it’s going to be a constant cut from Milano back to the mountains and the reverse. Regarding the Olympic Closing Ceremony being in Verona: One highlight for me this time around was to discover the Closing Ceremony. We are in Verona Arena (a Roman amphitheater built in 30 AD). So to start with, it’s quite a unique background. It’s a very small venue, but historic background. It’s been a long time where — and it’s no criticism to the past — but where you have a Closing Ceremony with an amazing artistic segment. https://www.nbcsports.com/olympics/news/milan-cortina-2026-christophe-dubi-ioc

We have ensured that in any of the locations, you have the equivalent of a live site or fan zone, whatever you call it, that can also serve as — it’s different than Paris — but sort of (like) Champions Park. So all the medals will be delivered in the venue. That was a request that was made at the time. It’s all good, but you still have to celebrate the athletes every day. That’s what it should look like. The celebration of athletes in a festive atmosphere in any of the locations, being in front of Duomo (in Milan) or at the foot of the Dolomites. That’s the key point that we are working on right now. How it all happens? I wouldn’t know at this stage, but the intention, spirit, is this. From an NBC Sports interview with Christophe Dubi that was released a couple hours ago: https://www.nbcsports.com/olympics/news/milan-cortina-2026-christophe-dubi-ioc So it looks like the medal ceremonies will take place at their respective venues, but they will still do a daily public celebration for the athletes at each host community.

Podium design will be revealed tomorrow... hopefully the medal ceremony theme too? 🥹

I still maintain that it should be a mountain lion

I don't have the document on hand at the moment but there is a proposal going around in the LA City Council that among other things would potentially establish an LA-Brisbane cultural program in the lead-up to 2028, similar to what Paris did with us. That would hopefully give Brisbane and Queensland a boost here, especially in the context of the handover.

The call for proposals requests the usage of the "Alpes Françaises 2030" label, so it looks like they're sticking with it

It doesn't help that the entire ceremony was rewritten in the months leading up to the Games, so that probably wasted a good part of the budget as well

Teaser 2 revealing the name of the ceremony: Armonia But that's not all! They also revealed the stage design for San Siro: I'm waiting for the press release to be published in English, but it's already up on the Italian version of the website: https://www.olympics.com/it/milano-cortina-2026/notizie/presentazione-cerimonia-apertura-olimpiadi-milano-cortina-2026-armonia

The first teaser for the Opening Ceremony has been posted… https://www.instagram.com/reel/DP2_q66CPPk/ Caption: “Art. History. Culture. Italian excellence is about to take the stage… at the San Siro Olympic Stadium. Get ready to experience it. Our #RoadToCeremonies begins today”

I signed up for the Visa presale, have heard absolutely NOTHING despite them saying they would send an email even if we weren't successful. Oh well, not too sad about not being able to give FIFA my money.

Big sponsorship update with Google now becoming a Founding Partner: https://la28.org/en/newsroom/google-teaming-up-with-team-usa-and-la28-as-founding-partner-to-enhance-fan-experience.html Additionally: Delivering the latest AI advancements, Google is surfacing new ways to search for information during NBCUniversal’s coverage and helping LA28 Games organizers as they prepare for our first Olympic and Paralympic Games in the U.S. in 26 years. NBCUniversal will also partner with YouTube to provide fans with select content around the Games, serving as an extension of NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.