2,000-Year-Old Arena Hosts Final Skater Salute
Figure skaters hoisted partners onto shoulders inside Verona’s Roman amphitheater Sunday as the Milano Cortina Games ended with a ceremony that swapped ice for marble and torchlight.
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Evan Bates Becomes First U.S. Ice Dancer to Carry Flag Since 1968
The U.S. delegation tapped five-time Olympian Evan Bates for the honor, making him the first ice dancer—and first figure skater since Grenoble silver medalist Tim Wood—to shoulder the Stars and Stripes at a Winter closing ceremony. Bates, 31, arrived fresh from gold in the team event and silver alongside wife and partner Madison Chock, giving American skating its most visible flag moment since Scott Hamilton opened Lake Placid 1980.
Flag Parade Spotlights Skaters From Kazakhstan to Mexico
Men’s champion Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan and women’s silver medalist Kaori Sakamoto of Japan led their nations, while pairs medalists brandished flags for Hungary, Finland, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Mexico and Romania. Volunteers stepped in for countries that skipped appointing a bearer, erasing the awkward gaps seen at the San Siro opener.
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12,000 Fans Pack Amphitheater as $200 Last-Minute Tickets Surface
Organizers crammed athletes into the lower bowl of the 30 A.D. structure, leaving few seats for paying customers. A Michigan student snagged a $200 resale ticket hours before the anthem medley; a Japanese fan who planned ahead paid $1,000 for the same stone seat. NBC’s headcount put attendance at 12,000, the smallest closing crowd in decades yet louder than many larger stadiums.
Eternal Flame Moves to France, Paralympics Stay in Italy
Outgoing IOC president Kirsty Coventry handed the Olympic flag to French Alps 2030 organizers before short-track legend Arianna Fontana doused the lantern flame. The cauldron may be dark, but Milano-Cortina keeps the spotlight: the region stages the Winter Paralympics March 6-15, 2026, giving figure skating’s adaptive disciplines their next turn on Italian ice.
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Useful Resources
- Olympics.com Figure Skating Hub – Full results, protocols, and replay links for every Milano Cortina event
- U.S. Figure Skating Team Event Page – Detailed breakdown of Evan Bates and Madison Chock’s gold-medal performances
- Verona Arena Visitor Guide – History and visitor information for the 2,000-year-old Roman venue
- French Alps 2030 Official Site – Early planning updates and ticket-alert signup for the next Winter Games
Source attribution retained from original
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