Paralympic Flame Union ceremony: excitement and emotion in Largo Poste
On March 3, 2026, Largo Poste hosted the Paralympic Flame Unifying Ceremony, the event that symbolically unified the flames of the Flame Festivals and ignited, also in Cortina, the path to the Milan Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.
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Tipologia di contenuto
Manifestazione
Cortina d’Ampezzo, March 4, 2026
Last night, on March 3, 2026, Largo Poste hosted the Paralympic Flame Unifying Ceremony, the event that symbolically unified the flames of the Flame Festivals and ignited, also in Cortina, the path to the Milan Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.
The ceremony opened with the Paralympic Flame Anthem and a welcome from the Master of Ceremony, who introduced the meaning of the evening: celebrating the values of the Paralympic Movement and experiencing the square as a space for participation. The narrative was accompanied by video content, including an exciting one on the Paralympic Movement, a call back to the origins with a video of the ignition in Stoke Mandeville, and the Torch Reveal.
Taking the stage during the evening were Gianluca Lorenzi (Mayor of Cortina d’Ampezzo), Andrea Varnier (CEO of Milan Cortina 2026 Foundation), Giuseppe Fasiol (Commissioner for the Paralympics), Marco Giunio De Sanctis (President of the Italian Paralympic Committee), as well as Giovanni Malagò (President of Milan Cortina 2026 Foundation) and Andrew Parsons (President of the International Paralympic Committee).
In his remarks, Mayor Lorenzi stressed, “Despite the difficult time, we have to live these Paralympics as a special moment. This is the time for Paralympic athletes: they need worldwide recognition, and we have a duty to give this event the importance it deserves.”
The evening then continued with moments of public involvement: the DJ set, dancers, karaoke, and the throwing of caps in the square, which helped create energy and a strong sense of shared celebration.
In the final stretch, the focus was on the central symbolic act: the unification of the five Flame Festival flames and the lighting of the brazier. Protagonists of the last stretch were the torchbearers: Marie Bochet (France, Paralympic alpine skiing), Marco Angelo Tacchi (runner), Leila Marques Mota (IPC Vice President and athlete), Olympic athlete Stefania Costantini and Diego Zardini of Cortina, who took the stage to light the Paralympic Flame brazier together.