Games closed, appointment in France

"Congratulations to our great hockey team. They won gold! What a game." This is how US President Donald Trump exults on his social Truth for the victory of the United States against Canada in overtime in the final of the ice hockey tournament at the Olympics in Milan Cortina. The president, despite the rumours of recent days, remained at the White House and did not come to Italia to watch the game.

The USA won the Olympic gold medal in men's ice hockey against Canada at the Milano Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena. Favourite Canada had managed to recover a 1-0 disadvantage suffered in the first period signed by Matt Boldy in the sixth minute, scoring with Cale Makar in the 36th minute of the second half. The third regulation half had ended in a draw despite numerical superiority situations due to penalties conceded to both the USA and Canada. The decisive factor was therefore the extra time, which is played in 3-on-3 to open up spaces and thus favour the draw, with the golden goal scored by Jack Hughes in the 61st minute. The match was played in a very hot atmosphere, given the climate of intense rivalry between the two national teams, with sensational chances to take the lead, after the Canadian equaliser, missed on both sides until the decisive goal.

The sixty minutes of regulation time were not enough to award the last gold medal of the Milan-Cortina Olympics in men's hockey. No one between the United States and Canada scored in the third period, which ended 1-1. So it went to overtime, where the 'golden goal' or 'sudden death' rule applies, i.e. whoever scores first wins. Only eight players were on the field, including the two goalkeepers. In the sixty minutes of regulation time, Canada took 41 shots on goal, compared to 26 by the United States. Only two goals were scored, however: that of the American Matt Boldy in the sixth of the first period and then, at the end of the second, after a long siege, the equaliser by Cale Makar.

The challenge between Canada and the United States for the last medal to be awarded at the Milan-Cortina Olympics is still wide open. At the Santa Giulia Arena, the third and final period of the match has just resumed, with the scoreboard reading 1-1. Canada, long on the attack, only managed to equalise when there was one and a half minutes to go before half-time. Scoring the 1-1 goal was Cale Makar. In the second half there was an immediate chance to overtake, avoided by the United States with a great save by goalkeeper Connor Hellebuyck.

They wasted 93 seconds of numerical superiority by the Canadian players.

Back on the ice, with the Canadians having a goal to make up.

Enchantment and beauty between dance and music, between Roberto Bolle's classical and Gabry Ponte's ultra-modern dance, in front of the eyes of Prime Minister Meloni and Chamber President Fontana. The Arena of Verona is thus preparing to welcome the closing ceremony of these XXV Winter Games in Milan Cortina, the first exciting 'widespread' Olympics for the blue colours. There will be no Donald Trump, who will not even be present in Milan for the hockey final between the USA and Canada, and not even Sébastien Lecornu, premier of France who will "inherit" the 2030 edition of the Winter Games. 'Beauty in Action' is the title of the show. In a few hours the Roman Amphitheatre will be transformed into the beating heart of the event, which promises to be much more than a simple closing act: a great collective feast, a tale of Italia through its artists, a celebration capable of uniting sport, culture and entertainment. Leading the organising machine is Filmmaster, whose CEO Antonio Abete claims the importance of the event: 'It will be an evening that wants to tell the story of Italia through the language of art and music. A worthy conclusion to a great Olympics, but also a moment of incredible celebration for everyone'. The aim, he explains, is to turn the closing event into a memorable experience, on a par with the emotion experienced by the athletes and the public during the weeks of competition. The cast of confirmed artists crosses genres and sensibilities. There will be Benedetta Porcaroli, one of the best-loved faces in contemporary Italia cinema, alongside Roberto Bolle, who has been called upon to sign a performance announced as 'unique', conceived especially for the occasion. "With Roberto we are building something special, out of the ordinary," emphasises Abete. Music will be the protagonist with Achille Lauro, Gabry Ponte and the Major Lazer, in a mix capable of speaking to different generations. 'We wanted to unite different worlds,' adds the Filmmaster CEO, 'to bring back the energy and creativity of our country. It will be a choral, powerful, popular narrative'. At centre stage there will be above all them, the athletes: about 1,400, perhaps even more, who will parade and participate in the final party. 'They are the real protagonists,' Abete concludes. This ceremony is designed to greet and thank them, together with the public, with the embrace of the whole of Italia. Verona will thus also be rehearsing for the other great ceremony, the one that will open the Paralympics Milan Cortina 2026 on 6 March, at which President Mattarella is expected. An event that promises to be controversial from the political point of view, due to the presence of Russia and Belarus, which the International Paralympic Committee has decided to admit with their own flags, unlike the IOC.

We go into the first intermission with a scoreboard reading 0-1 to the USA in the match for gold.

Un tifoso esulta prima della finale per la medaglia d'oro di hockey su ghiaccio maschile tra Canada e Stati Uniti alle Olimpiadi invernali del 2026, a Milano, Italia, domenica 22 febbraio 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) Associated Press / LaPresse Solo Italia e Spagna

A Canadian and an American are the referees for the match that will award the last gold in Milan Cortina 2026.

Olimpiadi Milano Cortina 2026 - Hockey su ghiaccio - Finale per la medaglia d'oro maschile - Canada vs Stati Uniti - Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, Milano, Italia - 22 febbraio 2026. Matt Boldy degli Stati Uniti in azione con Brad Marchand del Canada REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo

Closing today, at the end of the XXV Olympic Winter Games in Milan Cortina 2026 (6-22 February), is the experience of Casa Italia Milano Cortina 2026, the Coni - Italian National Olympic Committee project that for the first time opened its doors to the public, welcoming 120,000 guests in the three venues of Milan, Livigno and Cortina d'Ampezzo. A widespread project that took shape in 6,000 square metres of fitted surfaces, with 504 design objects, over 700 lighting fixtures, 310 square metres of LEDs, 60 Olympic objects that have made IOC history, 123 works of art on display and 86 Italian and international artists involved. Thousands of visitors and curious onlookers - a transversal public in terms of age and origin - reached the venues of Casa Italia Triennale Milano, the Centro di Preparazione Olimpica Aquagranda Livigno and Farsettiarte to experience the Olympic atmosphere and discover the MUSA exhibition project, a tribute to the inspirational role that Italia has played for centuries in the world's imagination and culture. Casa Italia has succeeded in interweaving culture and hospitality in an immersive narrative capable of restoring the value of sport, in the wake of the vision of Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the International Olympic Committee, who conceived it in close relationship with art.

In the classical tradition, the Muses embody the creative force that transforms knowledge into vision and, with Milan Cortina 2026, Casa Italia has taken MUSA as the interpretative key to narrate the complexity, beauty and plurality of the country, marking the point of arrival of a path that began in 2016 and that has gradually transformed Casa Italia from Hospitality House to a cultural platform of international importance, following the Olympic experiences of Rio 2016, PyeongChang 2018, Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022 and Paris 2024.

The most eagerly awaited challenge of these Winter Olympics has begun. On the ice USA and Canada are competing for gold in men's hockey in Milano Cortina and in the stands the ministers Andrea Abodi and Matteo Salvini. Next to them the president of the Senate Ignazio La Russa (with lady) and a row below the president of Milano Cortina Giovanni Malagò. The tension is high, the match day director helps to fuel it with red and blue plays of light, the colours of the two teams, Canada and the United States. The Santa Giulia Arena is red and white, you can see it from the shirts and flags and hear it from the cheering that accompanies the reading of the line-ups. The atmosphere is that of a big party, with colours on the faces, flashy costumes and the desire to enjoy the show from start to finish.

Matt Boldy scored six minutes from the whistle. 0-1 to the Americans.

The United States and Canada face off in the final for the men's hockey gold medal at the Winter Olympics after both finished the tournament with a 5-0 record. The Americans and Canadians have overcome some tough moments along the way, setting up a clash of rivals that many fans - and even the players involved - were hoping to see. The match is the last scheduled event before the closing ceremony brings the curtain down on the Winter Games in Italia. The appointment is in Milan, at the Forum di Assago, at 2.10 pm.

The team led by Johannes Lochner won the men's 4-man bobsleigh race. Second gold medal in bobsleigh at the Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina for him.

Two-time reigning Olympic champion Francesco Friedrich took silver, while Michael Vogt snatched bronze for Switzerland in the last heat. The Italians were fifth.

The Italian team led by Patrick Baumgartner closed its Olympic Games in 3:38.89. We are first in the fourth run when four other crews have yet to start. At worst we will finish fifth. Excellent placing in this discipline for us.

After two silver medals in this edition, Eileen Gu finally took the top step of the podium in the women's halfpipe at the Livigno Snow Park. The US-born star from the People's Republic of China defended her title with a final run of 94.75 points, beating compatriot Li Fanghui (93.00) and Britain's Zoe Atkin (92.50), who finished silver and bronze respectively. With her six career medals, the 22-year-old Gu is the most decorated freestyle skier in the short history of the sport at the Olympics. The event was rescheduled for this morning due to a heavy snowstorm on Saturday.

Gold to Sweden with Andersson, silver to Norway's Weng, bronze to Switzerland's Kaelin.

"We reached the number of 1.3 million tickets sold, about 80 per cent of the total capacity, a number higher than our expectations. We are very happy with the success of our ticketing programme'. Thus Andrea Varnier, Ceo of Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, at the closing press conference of the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics. "The proportion between Italian spectators and the rest of the world is 37% of Italians and 63% of other countries, the main ones being Germany with 15% and the United States with 14%," he added.

Waiting for the last downhill in 4-man bobsleigh. At 12.15 p.m., at the Cortina Sliding Centre, the Italian team will start fifth after the third run, with 18 hundredths to make up to try and get closer to the podium.

Gli italiani Patrick Baumgartner, a sinistra, Lorenzo Bilotti, Eric Fantazzini e Robert Mircea arrivano al traguardo durante una gara di bob a quattro alle Olimpiadi invernali del 2026, a Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italia, domenica 22 febbraio 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi) Associated Press / LaPresse Solo Italia e Spagna

The Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics come to a close today and Italia is celebrating the most important sporting achievement ever at the Winter Games: 30 medals, when the previous record was 20 at Lillehammer 1994. If we add to this the placings between fourth and eighth place, which are very relevant for the purposes of international rankings and sporting parameters, the expedition is of absolute importance and prestige. In the words of the Coni secretary general and head of mission at the Italian Games, Carlo Mornati, the Italian team of 2026 was 'the strongest team ever'.

Analysing the 30 Italian medals in more detail, the disciplines that collected the most podiums were speed skating and alpine skiing, with five, but speed skating collected the highest number of golds, three, plus two bronze medals. Alpine skiing, on the other hand, recorded two gold, one silver and two bronze medals. The only other discipline to achieve two golds was sledding, which also won two bronze medals, the same number of total medals (4) also for short track, distributed over one gold, two silver and one bronze. The freestyle (1-1-1) and the snowboard (0-1-2) had a total of three medals, while the biathlon had two, but one was gold and the other silver. Two also came from cross-country skiing, both bronze. The last two disciplines to medal, with one bronze each, were figure skating and curling. Overall, therefore, Italia sent medals athletes in ten out of 16 disciplines, demonstrating the depth of the movement and the focus on newer sports as well.

In a surprise move, the Israeli bobsled team was prevented by Israeli Olympic officials from completing Sunday's four-man bobsled competition at the 2026 Winter Games. In a statement to the Times of Israel on Sunday morning, the Israeli Olympic Committee said it had disqualified the team from competing after one of its athletes lied to Olympic officials to allow his teammate, Ward Fawarseh, to compete in his place. On Saturday, Israel competed in the first two heats of the event with the team consisting of AJ Edelman, Menachem Chen, Uri Zisman and Omer Katz. This morning the team was still scheduled to compete according to the official programme, but with Edelman, Chen, Fawarseh and Katz.

At the end of the third heat, Italy's fifth position was confirmed. 1 minute and 10 seconds delay for us from the top of the race, but the gap to the podium is smaller: 18 hundredths. Appointment at 12.15pm at the Cortina Sliding Centre for the last chapter.

They crossed the finish line of the third run in 54.57 for the Italian 4-rider bobsleigh team. Fifth position for them at the moment.

The Gold Olympic Order, the highest honour of the IOC, was conferred on the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. IOC President Kirsty Coventry, in a letter to the Head of State, stressed that through the honour she wished to express "deep gratitude" and "thanks" for the "tireless commitment and full support to make the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games unforgettable". In its letter to the premier, the IOC added that this 'success was made possible thanks to the great work and crucial role played by the Italia government under your leadership'. The silver Olympic Order was instead awarded to Ministers Abodi, Salvini and Giorgetti, as well as to representatives of Simico, local authorities and the Foundation.

A final between the United States and Canada in men's hockey is never just a game. Today at 2.10 p.m., in front of more than 18 thousand spectators at the Santa Giulia Arena, the last act of the Milan Cortina 2026 Games will award the most eagerly awaited gold medal, closing the programme before the Verona Ceremony. The great North American classic, the eighth Olympic cross-over in the final or decisive race, goes far beyond the ice rinks. It is an age-old rivalry, the most recurring in five-ring history, which in recent months has taken on obvious geopolitical contours. Just go back to a year ago, on 21 February 2025, the final of the 4 Nations tournament: there came booing of the US anthem, NHL-style brawls and the tweet fixed in the profile of former premier Justin Trudeau ("You can't take our country and you can't take our game"), in response to the words of US President Donald Trump, who had called Canada the "51st State". This time, fights are (formally) not allowed, but the climate remains heated along the 49th parallel.

Trump had ventilated the hypothesis of flying to Milan to take the stage and cheer on his team in the final, also aware of the symbolic weight of an eventual success. No trip: the agenda in Washington kept him between domestic and foreign policy dossiers, with the rejection of tariffs in the foreground. However, in the semifinal, against Slovakia beaten 6-2, FBI director Kash Patel was in the stands, a sign of how much the game is felt overseas. On the ice, the record with NHL players smiles on Canada: gold in 2002 in Salt Lake City (5-2) and in 2010 in Vancouver (3-2 in overtime with Sidney Crosby's golden goal).

These are the Italian men and women competing today, Sunday 22 February, at the Olympics in Milan Cortina:

10:00 - Cortina Sliding Centre Bobsled 4 U - Heat 3 Patrick Baumgartner, Lorenzo Bilotti, Eric Fantazzini, Robert Gino Mircea

This is the schedule for today, Sunday 22 February, at the Milan-Cortina Olympics:

10:00 a.m. - Bobsleigh (Cortina Sliding Centre, Cortina d'Ampezzo) Four-man bobsleigh (U) 3rd heat

Further reading

Olympics, ski cross, Italia doubles: Deromedis gold, Tomasoni silver. Giovannini bronze in mass start speed skating

21 February 2026