Ski cross racer Marielle Thompson and moguls skier Mikael Kingsbury and will carry Canada's flag into the opening ceremonies of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
The Canadian Press
Olympic champions Mikaël Kingsbury and Marielle Thompson have been chosen as Canada’s flag-bearers at the opening ceremony next week to kick off the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Kingsbury, a three-time Olympic medalist in moguls, and Thompson, who owns two Olympic medals in ski cross, are both headed for their fourth Olympic Winter Games at the age of 33.
The ceremony will take place on Feb. 6.
Owing to the widespread nature of these Games, with athletes competing and staying in various clusters across Northern Italy, the opening ceremony will unfold simultaneously in the different locations, so athletes from all disciplines can participate.
The Parade of Nations will feature Olympians led by each country’s flag-bearers not only inside Milan’s 70,000-seat San Siro Stadium, but also, for the first time in Olympic history, in three other locations, too: the mountain venues of Cortina, Predazzo and Livigno.
Both Kingsbury and Thompson will march in Livigno.
Kingsbury, known as the most dominant moguls skier in history, has an Olympic gold medal from Pyeongchang 2018, and silver medals from Sochi 2014 and Beijing 2022. The native of Deux-Montagnes, Que., is the first male moguls skier to ever win three Olympic medals.
This season, he became the first athlete to reach 100 World Cup victories in freestyle skiing when he won the men’s singles moguls event on Canadian soil at Val St-Côme, Que. He also owns a record 29 Crystal Globes and nine consecutive overall freestyle titles. Kingsbury will have two medal opportunities at the 2026 Games, as the dual moguls event debuts on the Olympic program. He has said this will be his last Games.
Kingsbury called his selection as a Canadian flag bearer one of the greatest honours he’s ever received.
“It’s truly special to do so alongside an exceptional athlete like Marielle, especially since we got our start in our sport around the same time,” said Kingsbury. “I’ll try to enjoy it all, live in the moment as best I can, because I know it’s going to go by really fast, and it’s something I’ll be able to remember for the rest of my life.”
Thompson, of Whistler, B.C. won Olympic gold at Sochi 2014 and silver at Beijing 2022. Since making her World Cup debut in December, 2010, Thompson has become one of the world’s top ski cross stars.
While this is her fourth Winter Games, this will be Thompson’s first time participating in an opening ceremony. She called this “a new and exciting opportunity” since she has always watched it on television during past Olympics.
“There are so many amazing athletes to select from, so to be chosen is really kind of unbelievable, but just very special,” said Thompson.
Both in ski events, Thompson and Kingsbury have cheered each other on at previous Games.
“When I heard that Mikaël was going to be the other flag bearer, I was not surprised at all. He’s had such an incredible career,” said Thompson. “To be entering the Olympic opening ceremonies alongside him is an honour.”
The Milan Cortina Olympics take place from Feb. 6 to 22.
As a nod to the two official hosts, the Games will have two cauldrons, lit and extinguished simultaneously, in Milan and Cortina.
The opening ceremony is expected to feature acts from some blockbuster artists, including pop star Mariah Carey and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.
What is your favourite Winter Olympics memory?
For a future story, we’d like to know what your most cherished Winter Olympic memory is. Did it involve watching the Calgary 1988 or Vancouver 2010 Games on television, or attending a torch rally? Did you go a particular Games and watch a Canadian win gold in the flesh? Share your story in the box below.