Winter Olympics opening in Italy with Azerbaijan represented by two competitors

The opening ceremony of the 25th Winter Olympic Games will take place today in Italy, officially marking the start of the global sporting event.

The ceremony will be held at Milan’s iconic San Siro Stadium and is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. ET, at which point the Games will be formally declared open, Caliber.Az reports per state media.

For the first time, there will be two Olympic cauldrons, with one located in Milano at the Arco della Pace and the other in Cortina d'Ampezzo in Piazza Dibona. The two cauldrons are described on the Olympics official website as "a powerful symbol of harmony between the two Host Cities and the territories of the distributed Games."

Starting on February 7, the Cauldron at the Arco della Pace will be featured in a public 3-5 minute show daily. The ritual will continue until the Olympic flame is extinguished on February 22. When the Paralympics begin in March, the cauldrons will be lit again until the Closing Ceremony.

Although the opening ceremony takes place today, the Winter Olympic Games officially commenced on February 4 with the start of curling competitions.

Azerbaijan will be represented at the Games by two athletes: Alpine skier Anastasia Papatoma and figure skater Vladimir Litvintsev.

Azerbaijan first participated in the Winter Olympic Games as an independent state in 1998, when the Games were held in Nagano, Japan. Despite consistent participation since then, the country has yet to secure a medal at the Winter Olympics. Its best result to date was achieved at the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia, where ice dancers Julia Zlobina and Alexei Sitnikov finished in 12th place.

At the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, Azerbaijan was again represented by two athletes. Vladimir Litvintsev placed 18th in figure skating, while Ekaterina Ryabova finished 15th in the same discipline.

In February 2022, Azerbaijan earned its first-ever qualification for the Winter Paralympic Games. Although cross-country skier Mehman Ramazanzada secured a quota place in the sprint event at the Beijing Paralympics, a serious injury sustained during training shortly before the opening ceremony prevented the country from making its official debut at the Winter Paralympic Games.

The Winter Olympic Games will be held from February 6 to 26, followed by the Paralympic Games, which are scheduled to take place from March 6 to 15.

By Vafa Guliyeva