After 16 days of highs, lows and plenty of drama, the curtain is set to fall on the 2026 Winter Olympics with Milan-Cortina organisers putting on a spectacular closing ceremony.
Zoe Atkin’s capture of a bronze medal earlier on Sunday ensured these Games have been the most successful in Team GB’s history and eyes are already turning to 2030.
Here’s everything UK-based viewers need to know about tonight’s closing ceremony.
How to watch closing ceremony in UK
The much-anticipated closing ceremony gets under way at 7.30 p.m. GMT. It will be broadcast live on BBC iPlayer and BBC Two. Build-up begins from 7 p.m.
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Where is the closing ceremony taking place?The Roman amphitheatre that will host the closing ceremony is 1,996 years old. Claudio Lavenia/Getty Images
Despite the two Olympic flames burning in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, the closing ceremony is being held in Verona at the Verona Olympic Arena. Built in 30 AD, Italy’s third-largest Roman amphitheatre was built to host gladiator battles but will now play host to a spectacular closing event.
The venue will also host the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games opening ceremony in March.
It is about a two-hour drive from Milan and three hours from Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Who are Team GB’s flagbearers?Matt Weston’s two golds saw him become the most successful British man in Winter Olympic history. David Pearce / Team GB
Matt Weston and Charlotte Bankes have been selected as Team GB’s flagbearers for the closing ceremony.
Weston won two golds at the Games — following up his triumph in the men’s skeleton with another gold in the mixed team event alongside Tabby Stoecker.
“To be selected as flagbearer is a massive, massive honour and I’m so proud to be able to represent the country at the Closing Ceremony,” Weston said in a statement. “The fact that it’s taking place at such an iconic venue makes it even more exciting. I think it will be a unique and very Italian experience, and a great way to end the Games.”
Charlotte Bankes (left) won gold alongside Huw Nightingale in the mixed team snowboard cross. Hannah Peters/Getty Images
Bankes was selected after competing in her fourth Olympic Games. She won Team GB’s first ever Winter Olympic gold on snow with Huw Nightingale in the mixed snowboard cross.
“To be asked to carry the flag is a dream come true and feels like a moment for our entire snowboard cross team. We have made history for our sport, and I will be walking out there carrying it for everyone who has been part of that journey,” she said.
“Leading Team GB out at my first Closing Ceremony will be very special. It is a chance to reflect on everything we have put into these Games and to celebrate the medals we have won, and those we have come so close to.”
What can we expect to see in the closing ceremony?The Olympic cauldron at Milan’s Arch of Peace will be extinguished at the same time as the cauldron in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Maja Hitij/Getty Images
The Roman amphitheatre is set to provide a stunning backdrop to the festivities — its embodiment of Italian cultural heritage means its selection as host venue is fitting.
As is always the case for these events, the ceremony will feature the great and the good of Italian music, art and sport.
Organisers have said the finale will “weave together” these cultural touchstones, “celebrating unity and the enduring bonds between athletes and nations” with a theme of “Beauty in Action.”
The two Olympic cauldrons will be extinguished simultaneously in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
As has been the case for recent Games, Ben Sherman will outfit the British delegation for the closing ceremony. Team GB have said flagbearers Weston and Bankes will wear “unique hand-knit scarves and winter hats created as part of a collaboration between Ben Sherman and five-time Olympic medallist Tom Daley.”
How did Team GB athletes perform at these Games?
UK Sport chiefs said they felt British athletes could bring home eight medals from the Milan-Cortina Games but after a succession of near-misses in the opening days of the Games it seemed the final total might fall well short of that figure.
But a flurry of golds — including two on one day — means that the 2026 Winter Olympics goes down as Team GB’s most successful in history. They managed the same high-water mark of five set at Sochi 2014 and Pyeongchang four years later but the unprecedented number of golds means it ranks as Britain’s best return.
There were two golds in the skeleton and Team GB’s first on snow in the mixed snowboard cross event. The men’s curlers settled for a silver on the penultimate day of the Games and Atkin’s bronze took the Team GB total to five.
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Where are the next Winter Olympics taking place?The French Alps was announced as the hosts of the 2030 Winter Olympics in a ceremony last year. FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images
The Olympic flag will be lowered and handed over to delegates from the hosts of the next Winter Olympics Games — the French Alps in four years’ time. Those games are scheduled to be held between Feb. 1 and Feb. 17, 2030.