Italians Spark Early Joy on Home Snow with Opening-Day Medals at Milan-Cortina Games

Milan-Cortina, Italy — The Milan-Cortina Olympics burst to life on a buoyant opening day that delivered exactly what the host nation craved: Italian athletes climbing the medal podium and a wave of national pride rolling through the Alpine venues.

In a clean sweep of color for the home crowd, Italian competitors collected medals across multiple events, ensuring the country’s flag was raised repeatedly during the first full session of competition. While specific disciplines and names were not immediately released, the early haul set an upbeat tone for the 17-day Winter Games and offered a moment of collective celebration from the Dolomites to the streets of Milan.

Organizers have long promised that staging the Olympics across scattered iconic Italian sites — from the city’s fashion capital to the peaks made famous by the 1956 Cortina Games — would create a uniquely festive backdrop. Monday’s results validated that vision, as local fans greeted each Italian medal with ringing cowbells and chants of “Italia! Italia!” echoing through the mountains.

The early success also relieves some pressure on the host nation, which entered the Games targeting its strongest winter medal count in decades. With Italians already on the board, attention now turns to whether the momentum can carry through the remaining slate of alpine skiing, snowboarding, and sliding events that dominate the first week.

For a country eager to showcase organizational prowess after the pandemic-delayed Tokyo curtain-raiser, the feel-good opening chapter offered a perfect start: medals in hand, crowds in full voice, and the unmistakable sense that these Games belong to Italy.