![South Korea’s team enters the closing ceremony of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in high spirits. [Photo=Yonhap·Reuters]](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2026/02/23/20260223060157473439.jpg)
The delegation attended the ceremony on Feb. 23 (Korea time) at the Verona Arena in Verona, Italy, bringing the 17-day Games to a close.
After the host nation’s flag was raised, Greece’s flag appeared first, followed by participating nations in Italian alphabetical order. As in the opening ceremony, South Korea was announced 22nd.
Flag bearers Choi Min-jeong (Seongnam City Hall) and Hwang Dae-heon (Gangwon Provincial Government) walked in together holding the South Korean flag. They made a full lap of the oval stadium before returning to their seats.
Choi and Hwang made history in short track at these Games.
Choi won gold in the women’s 3,000-meter relay and silver in the 1,500, setting a new record for most Olympic medals by a South Korean athlete across the Summer and Winter Games. With seven career medals (four gold, three silver) from Pyeongchang 2018, Beijing 2022 and Milan-Cortina 2026, she surpassed Jin Jong-oh (shooting), Kim Soo-nyung (archery) and Lee Seung-hoon (speedskating), who each had six. She also tied Jeon I-kyung (four gold) for the most Winter Olympic gold medals by a South Korean athlete.
Hwang won silver in the men’s 5,000-meter relay and the 1,500. It was his third straight Olympics with a medal and his fifth career Olympic medal (one gold, four silver). He tied Lee Ho-suk (one gold, four silver) for the most Olympic medals by a South Korean men’s short track skater.
As the athletes’ parade continued, South Korean competitors waved their flags and took in the closing-ceremony atmosphere.
Verona, where the closing ceremony was held, is about 160 kilometers from Milan, which hosted the opening ceremony and events including skating and ice hockey. No competitions were held in Verona; only the closing ceremony took place.
The 80,000-seat Verona Arena is an amphitheater completed in A.D. 30 during the Roman Empire. It once hosted gladiator contests and wild-animal hunts. It will also serve as the venue for the opening ceremony of the Winter Paralympics, which begin March 6.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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