Ukraine's Flag Bearers and How to Watch the 2026 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony in Verona

The Closing Ceremony for the 2026 Winter Games

According to Главком: The curtain will fall on the XXV Winter Olympic Games on February 22, 2026, with the Closing Ceremony held at the historic Arena di Verona. The event is scheduled to begin at 9:00 PM local time. This ancient Roman amphitheater, originally constructed in 30 AD, will provide a stunning backdrop for the show, which is titled 'Beauty in Action' under the artistic direction of Alfredo Accatino.

Handing Over the Olympic Flag

A key moment of the ceremony will be the official handover to the French Alps, hosts of the 2030 Winter Olympics. The mayors of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Giuseppe Sala and Gianluca Lorenzi, will present the Olympic flag to International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry. She will then pass it on to Christian Estrosi, the mayor of Nice.

Freestyle skiers Angelina Brykina and Dmytro Kotovskyi have been selected as Ukraine's flag bearers for the closing event. For context, the Ukrainian team concluded the 2026 Winter Games without winning a medal, marking the first time in 16 years the nation has left an Olympics empty-handed. The final freestyle skiing event (mixed team) took place on February 21, 2026.

In Ukraine, the Closing Ceremony broadcast will be available on the Suspilne Sport television channel and the Eurosport platform. This event represents a significant moment for both Ukrainian sport and the broader Olympic movement.

The Olympic Closing Ceremony is always a symbolic event, celebrating the athletes' achievements and the key moments of the competition.

The formal handover to the French Alps underscores the continuity of the Winter Games tradition and the importance of the global sporting community. Ukraine's failure to secure any medals at these Games presents a notable challenge that may influence the future development of winter sports in the country.