The Eurovision and Sanremo performers at the Winter Olympics 2026 Opening Ceremony
- Kyriakos Tsinivits
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
The Milano Cortina Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony took place in the early hours, Australian time, with Eurovision and Sanremo artists part of the star-studded musical lineup.
Laura PausiniÂ
Italian singer-songwriter Laura Pausini performed in the ceremony singing the Italian national anthem.
Pausini was the winner of Sanremo’s Newcomers section in 1993 with the song La solitudine, which became an Italian standard and an international hit.
Pausini went on to have an impressive music career which included a Grammy win in 2006 for Best Latin Pop Album for the record Escucha and an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song and Golden Globe Award win for Best Original Song in 2021, for Io sì from the film The Life Ahead.
She also appeared as a coach on both the Mexican and Spanish versions of The Voice and was a judge on the Spanish version of The X Factor.
In 2022 Pausini was a presenter at the Eurovision Song Contest held in Turin along with music star Mika and Italian television, soccer player and radio presenter Alessandro Cattelan.
Ghali
Sanremo artist and Milan-native Ghali, perofrmed in the opening ceremony, reciting Gianni Rodari's poem Memorandum in four different languages. Which finishes with the line:
'There are things you must never do, not by day nor by night not by sea nor by shore: for example WAR.''
The Italian rapper and singer-songwriter widely regarded as one of the most influential voices in contemporary Italian hip-hop.
Born Ghali Amdouni in Milan to Tunisian parents, he rose to prominence in the mid-2010s with a genre-blending sound that fuses trap, pop, and elements of North African music.
Known for his introspective lyrics, social commentary, and melodic hooks, Ghali often explores themes of identity, multiculturalism, love, and belonging, reflecting his experiences growing up between cultures.
His breakthrough album Album (2017) cemented his mainstream success, while subsequent releases have established him as a boundary-pushing artist who continues to reshape Italy’s modern music landscape.
In 2024 he competed at Sanremo Music Festival with the song Casa Mia. He made it to the Superfinal where he finished in 4th place.
Star-studded Opening Ceremony lineup
Laura Pausini and Ghali weren't the only high-profile names featured during the Milan–Cortina 2026 Opening Ceremony.
Other performers and participants included global pop icon Mariah Carey, who sung a rendition of the Italian Eurovision classic Volare, world-renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, acclaimed actor and producer Pierfrancesco Favino and actress Sabrina Impacciatore.
Australian audiences can catch coverage of the Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Channel 9.
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