2026 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony PBP - Ciao Ciao Milano

[OrioleBeagle]

Oh, Johnny, this outfit is so unfortunate.

I love how they Tara, Johnny and Terry color coordinate their outfits.

 

[Karen-W]

And, with that, farewell, Winter Olympics, for another four years. Seems crazy to realize it's already over!

 

[just tuned in]

It was so boring I bailed during the "water" dance. That will be FB/C's FD next year. My other thought -- athletes -- can they sneak out the back?

 

[Garden Kitty]

Out of order because I missed the live airing and am catching it now, but I have to admire Evan Bates's interview. Someone (maybe Andrea Joyce but I'm not certain) asked Hilary Knight about the honor of being named a flag bearer. Then they asked Evan about getting the news of being named a flag bearer from his wife who was also his dance partner. Evan politely pointed out that both he and Hilary were at the Games with their significant others and that Hilary and Brittany had gotten engaged during the Olympics.

The opera beginning is appropriately voidy and classy at the same time, but whatever they do it's hard to beat the setting itself. Just incredible.

 

[Garden Kitty]

I love a good montage!

 

[Dave of the North]

There are always opening ceremonies and closing ceremonies that appeal to each of us. I apologize for being the one soul who does not appreciate culture.

The montage of various athletes receiving awards or clips of their achievements is an excellent way to honor the accomplishments. One of my most favorite things of the closing ceremonies is when the athletes are sharing pins, mementos and taking selfies of them with althetes of different countries. I didn't see that tonight

I sincerely LA avoids any glitzy, partying type at any of the ceremonies. I would hope we wouldn't go from Opera to Kardashian.

I do not have any hope that Trump will stay the hell out of them. His ego won't. I'm not sure the other countries want to be here

Sorry to disappoint you, but the head of state of the host country is usually at the opening ceremonies to open the Games.

 

[once_upon]

Sorry to disappoint you, but the head of state of the host country is usually at the opening ceremonies to open the Games.

Oh I know that, I think he will want ceremony to include a Kid Rhock or WWF match. Selling Trump Golden Sneakers. So many things

 

[PRlady]

So, it's not a matter of not appreciating culture - I think most of us here who are criticizing this closing ceremony quite appreciated & enjoyed the opening ceremony, which was full of culture and a celebration of Italy.

In many regards, I think some of the aspects of this closing ceremony would have been better suited for the opening ceremony.

And I hope they embrace it. The ceremonies are a reflection of the host city & country and glitz, glamour, celebrity are very much at the heart of what makes LA tick. I'm not too worried about it seeing as they gave us Tom Cruise Mission Impossibiling on a motorcycle for the handover ceremony.

I highly doubt there will be any Opera at the LA ceremonies - there will probably be some Kardashians though, especially seeing as Caitlyn Jenner is an American Olympic Champion.

Please. Get real. Athletes will absolutely want to be here. It's the Olympics. And it's LA, which is one of the most iconic Olympic cities in the world.

Just got up at 3:30 AM for the opening of Fasnacht, the famous Basel carnival. The lantern signs are often political and oh boy would Trump have been pissed to see how he was frequently featured. And we are now on our third European country where total strangers extend us their sympathy for being American (we are happy accept it.)

If Trump tries to do to LA what he does to everything else, I won’t be surprised at antagonism from foreign athletes.

 

[Karen-W]

If Trump tries to do to LA what he does to everything else, I won’t be surprised at antagonism from foreign athletes.

Been thinking about this today and... Honestly, if Europeans or Australians or Canadians don't want to show up at the 2028 Olympics because of their TDS, fine by me. And I'm sure it'll be just fine with the CCP too. More medals for the USA, China and everyone else who aren't willing to cut off their noses to spite their faces.

 

[PRlady]

It’s one thing to be boycotted by the Soviet Union because you boycotted them. It’s quite another when every medal is asterisked because the entire Western developed world doesn’t come. Not to mention African countries whose travelers are normally barred and angry about it (track and field) and sports like equestrian and sailing/canoeing/rowing etc where most elite participants for historic reasons are Western.

After almost three weeks of polite but aghast questions from Italians, French and Swiss, I think you can’t overstate how appalled these people are by everything from yoyo tariffs to brutal ICE raids. That even included a Frenchwoman outraged by the right-wing activist’s death, a cause celebre in France.

 

[Karen-W]

Wanna place a friendly wager?

As one of the resident cynics, I'm pretty confident in stating that regardless of what so many average Italians, French & Swiss are aghast about, neither the IOC nor their NOCs and the IFs are going to support a boycott, and neither will their governments. Same goes for the rest of the entire Western developed world. And the administration has already guaranteed the IOC that they will approve visas for all Olympic athletes & personnel. I would expect there to be very few issues with most countries, even the ones with stricter regulations imposed by the State Department for ordinary visas.

It may or may not hurt overseas attendance but judging by the interest expressed by FSUers here in attending the LA 2028 Games, I'm going to also bet that this doesn't prevent any events from being sold out. The stadia, arenas & other venues will be just as full for LA 2028 as they were for Paris 2024 and Milano-Cortina 2026.

The plain and simple truth is that if causing a global pandemic didn't result in a boycott of the Olympics 4 years ago with China then Trump being President of the US isn't going to cause a boycott of the Olympics in 2.5 years.

 

[Coco]

Been thinking about this today and... Honestly, if Europeans or Australians or Canadians don't want to show up at the 2028 Olympics because of their TDS, fine by me. And I'm sure it'll be just fine with the CCP too. More medals for the USA, China and everyone else who aren't willing to cut off their noses to spite their faces.

Please stop hiding behind the term TDS, as if rational people can't be profoundly disturbed by his horrifying actions, criminal history and money wasting ways.

How nice that his impact on other continents is a matter of a friendly wager for you, as if this is a joke.

 

[Karen-W]

Please stop hiding behind the term TDS, as if rational people can't be profoundly disturbed by his horrifying actions, criminal history and money wasting ways.

How nice that his impact on other continents is a matter of a friendly wager for you, as if this is a joke.

What is profoundly disturbing are the number of people who are so upset by the actions of one US President they would predict the next Olympics will be boycotted by most of the world when we just witnessed, 4 years ago, a non-boycotted Olympics pulled off by a country with an actual dictator & from whence a global pandemic was unleashed. But, yes, let's do talk about an impact on other continents.

If someone wants to be so irrational as to posit the notion there will be a boycott of LA 2028 then I will treat that notion with the seriousness it deserves - which is to say, none.

 

[Sylvia]

Evan Bates & Hilary Knight:

Evan Bates on Instagram: "Thank you for the honor of a lifetime 🇺🇸 @teamusa"

13K likes, 122 comments - evan_bates on February 23, 2026: "Thank you for the honor of a lifetime 🇺🇸 @teamusa".

www.instagram.com

Lauriault/Le Gac:

Marie-Jade & Romain 🇨🇦⛸ on Instagram: "Grazie Italia 🫶💚🤍❤️🫶 #milanocortina2026 #closingceremony #teamcanada #olympics #grazie"

1,172 likes, 26 comments - lauriaultlegac on February 23, 2026: "Grazie Italia 🫶💚🤍❤️🫶 #milanocortina2026 #closingceremony #teamcanada #olympics #grazie".

www.instagram.com

Olga Mikutina:

𝐎𝐋𝐆𝐀 𝐌𝐈𝐊𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐀 on Instagram: "What a night ✨🎉🥹 #olympics #milanocortina2026 #olympicteamaustria #closingceremony"

253 likes, 7 comments - olgamikutina on February 23, 2026: "What a night ✨🎉🥹 #olympics #milanocortina2026 #olympicteamaustria #closingceremony".

www.instagram.com

Michał Woźniak

Michał Woźniak on Instagram: "@milanocortina2026 Closing Ceremony! @olympics officially has come to an end #Olympics #milanocortina2026 #closingceremony #teampl #MediolanCortina2026"

140 likes, 2 comments - iamwozniakm on February 23, 2026: "@milanocortina2026 Closing Ceremony! @olympics officially has come to an end #Olympics #milanocortina2026 #closingceremony #teampl #MediolanCortina2026".

www.instagram.com

 

[allezfred]

What is profoundly disturbing are the number of people who are so upset by the actions of one US President they would predict the next Olympics will be boycotted by most of the world when we just witnessed, 4 years ago, a non-boycotted Olympics pulled off by a country with an actual dictator & from whence a global pandemic was unleashed. But, yes, let's do talk about an impact on other continents.

If someone wants to be so irrational as to posit the notion there will be a boycott of LA 2028 then I will treat that notion with the seriousness it deserves - which is to say, none.

It would be nice if you could keep your latent racism in check and not drag us back to 2020 when people of East Asian descent were subject to vile abuse because of throwaway marks like yours.

All that said, I doubt there will be a boycott. It’ll be the 1936 Olympics all over again.

 

[skategal]

I don't think there will be an Olympic boycott of LA 2028 but I do think it will be an Olympic shitshow.

 

[Private Citizen]

Is political talk appropriate for this thread? If it is, I have some comments to make.

I think "sympathetic Europeans" are careful with what they say to whom, on both sides. I know many Trump fans in the UK and France who think a Trump-like figure is a solution to their country's problems. FWIW I agree with them. Of course they only tell me this once I clue them in that I'm not a part of the woke leftist mob they often assume I am, and they wouldn't say the same to PRlady. And most Italians, including a liberal friend of mine PRlady met and heard for herself, will admit openly and without reluctance that Giorgia Meloni has done a great job for their country. We didn't hear boos for her.

Why imagine latent racism when there's blatant anti-semitism (booing of Israeli athletes) and even more blatant Trump Derangement Syndrome (booing Vance)? I hope those who do have such strong feeling about Trump decide to stay away from the Games. It would be nice to see the champagne socialist wokerati actually live their values instead of finger wag at others while not actually making any sacrifices themselves.

 

[PRlady]

Meloni has many fans, including our leftist friend who lives part-time in Tuscany, because she’s apparently improving things without breaking the law and waging ideological warfare. She’s not Trump.

Here’s a small sample of Trump as featured in lanterns for Basel Fasnacht. https://imgur.com/gallery/basel-fasnacht-logos-of-trump-51BTuvO

https://imgur.com/gallery/more-trump-beloved-basel-dY0YxDB

And I don’t think we two olds give away our political affiliation through what we look like, DH isn’t even American-born. So the fact that so many people brought it up with us as soon as they heard us speaking American English says something, I think.

 

[Private Citizen]

Meloni has many fans, including our leftist friend who lives part-time in Tuscany, because she’s apparently improving things without breaking the law and waging ideological warfare. She’s not Trump.

Off topic but she has. She criminalized surrogacy (even for straights and even abroad), invalidated same-sex partners listed on birth certificates and banned the practice moving forward, sent illegal immigrants to Albania as a deterrent, and has been even more extreme than Trump on social issues.

She did do one very popular thing that Trump did not manage to do, though: cut welfare.

 

[allezfred]

I know many Trump fans in the UK and France who think a Trump-like figure is a solution to their country's problems.

Those people are very dumb.