Flag handover ceremony will be totally different: Milano-Cortina 2026 official
Xinhua
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BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The flag handover ceremony at the Beijing 2022 closing ceremony on Sunday will be totally different from what people have seen in the past, said Giovanni Malago, the president of Milano-Cortina 2026 Foundation.

"There are two cities involved, so it's very diverse, two independent regions. It is the story of a modern Olympics. We have involved not just a city but an entire territory," Malago said.

Marco Balich, creative producer of Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic ceremonies said the basic principle of the flag handover ceremony is "beauty, nature, style," and will also feature the future and technology.

"The ceremony will show the relationship between mountain and city, between man and nature. Nature is important to the IOC and to Milan and Cortina. If you look at people under the age of 25 today, this will be the important topic.

"This dual aspect - city and mountain - is the brief that Milano-Cortina asked us to take on board. These are important for the narrative that we are developing. We are representing humanity and nature. These are very important themes because they represent the challenge of the future," he noted.

"We would like to thank our Chinese friends for all the information they have shared with us. The world will have changed in four years' time so we will be doing something that is up to date," said Giuseppe Sala, the mayor of Milan.