13 March 2022
With the flag handover ceremony, the Paralympic flag has come to Italy.
Italy is officially the next host country for the Paralympic Winter Games. At the Beijing 2022 closing ceremony, the Paralympic flag was handed over from Beijing 2022 to Milano Cortina 2026.
This long moment was dedicated to Italy in the Beijing National Stadium. Arisa sang the Italian anthem, and then, on behalf of the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation, the deputy mayor of Milan, Anna Scavuzzo, and the mayor of Cortina d’Ampezzo, Gianpietro Ghedina, received the flag with the agitos.
To indicate the handover, the National Stadium was lit with the colours of the agitos, the Paralympic symbol representing the union between mind, body, and spirit. It also echoes the Paralympic emblem for Milano Cortina 2026. Light was the guiding thread of the flag handover ceremony.
In the video “We Are the Light,” projected during the ceremony and conceived by Marco Balich, Paralympic athletes light up the world with the multicoloured rays of their determination in the name of diversity and inclusion. Like sports, light has the power to transform lives, change perspectives, and bring about change.
Thus, the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Games came to a close. During this outing, the Italian team has taken home seven medals (two golds, three silvers, and two bronzes), surpassing their Pyeongchang 2018 victories. The Paralympic flag will soon arrive in Italy. Now, it’s time for Milano Cortina 2026.
