Milan Cortina 2026: Olympic and Paralympic flags displayed in the lobby of Cortina City Hall

Today is an important day for Cortina on the road to the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. In the lobby of City Hall, Corso Italia 33, the two official flags of the event are on display: the Olympic flag with the Five Circles and the Paralympic flag with the Agitos, symbols of the sporting and inclusive spirit of the Games.

The flags, a universal symbol of unity, respect and inclusion, had been presented to the mayors of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo at the end of the Beijing 2022 Winter Games.
Starting today, citizens and visitors will have the opportunity to take a closer look at these iconic, oversized symbols housed in two 4 x 2.5-meter glass cases at the entrance to the City Hall building.
After the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games, which will be held here in Cortina on March 15, 2026 at Olympic Ice Stadium, the flags will be handed over to France, which will host the 2030 Winter Games in the two regions Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, marking the new handover between the host cities of the Winter Olympics.

“This is a unique opportunity for our community and all winter sports fans to see the original flags of the games, in all their majesty” -said Cortina d’Ampezzo Mayor Gianluca Lorenzi. “The Olympic and Paralympic flags remind us of the importance of the values of sports, determination, fair play and mutual respect, fundamental elements that we want to pass on to future generations.”

The history of flags

Olympic flags, a universal symbol of unity, respect and inclusion, have a long history. The five Olympic circles, conceived by Pierre de Coubertin, were officially unveiled at the Paris Olympic Congress in 1914, symbolizing universality and brotherhood at a time marked by high international tensions. The flag with the five circles first flew in an Olympic arena at the 1920 Games. The Paralympic symbol, known as ‘agitos,’ was introduced in 2003 to represent the movement and determination of Paralympic athletes, promoting a more inclusive world through sport.