Four champions and four remarkable stories will lead Italy into the Opening Ceremony of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Federica Brignone, Arianna Fontana, Amos Mosaner and Federico Pellegrino have been selected as flag bearers, an unprecedented decision that makes Italy the first nation in Olympic history to designate four athletes for this role.
The announcement came from CONI president Luciano Buonfiglio, joined by secretary general Carlo Mornati and vice president Marco Di Paola, during a presentation at the Foro Italico. The event, titled “Ten Nevers for One Choice,” outlined ten historical firsts behind the selection, making it a unique moment in the Olympic movement.
For instance, Italy had never before chosen a pair of flag bearers for the Winter Games, let alone four. No athlete from the Fiamme Oro, nor one born in Valle d’Aosta or in Trentino, had ever carried the flag. Brignone becomes the first athlete born in an Olympic host city to serve as flag bearer, and Fontana becomes the first Italian woman to hold the honor twice.
The Opening Ceremony itself will also make history, taking place simultaneously at San Siro in Milan and in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Fontana and Pellegrino will march in Milan, while Brignone and Mosaner will lead the delegation in Cortina. Buonfiglio emphasized “harmony” as the guiding principle behind the decision, an idea he sees reflected in both the Games’ development and the athletes selected.
Brignone, the celebrated Alpine skier and daughter of former champion Ninna Quario, returns to competition after a serious injury. She will march alongside Olympic curling champion Mosaner. Fontana - Italy’s most decorated Olympian with 11 medals - adds another milestone to her extraordinary career, while Pellegrino, a cross-country skiing icon, becomes the first athlete from the Fiamme Oro and a National Council member to carry the flag.