Milano Olympics End: Games Showcase Preciousness of Mutual Respect in Turbulent Times

Editorial

15:53 JST, February 24, 2026

Athletes who shone on a grand stage that comes just once every four years deserve heartfelt applause. The sight of athletes gathering from countries around the world and respecting each other has reminded people anew of the preciousness of peace during turbulent times.

The Milano Cortina Olympics have ended. Japan’s athletes excelled in various events, securing the most Winter Olympic medals for the country at a single Games, surpassing the 18 won at the previous edition held in Beijing.

Success was seen in figure skating, including Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara’s dramatic come-from-behind victory to claim Japan’s first gold medal in the pairs event.

Kaori Sakamoto, who intends to retire from competition at the end of this season, left a particularly deep impression, inspiring her fellow skaters. Though she herself narrowly missed out on victory and took silver in the women’s singles event, her performance showcasing her advanced technical skills was magnificent.

Japan shone in snowboarding, winning nine medals. Ayumu Hirano, one of the top contenders in the men’s halfpipe event, finished seventh, but his execution of top-level tricks despite injuries was an inspiration to viewers.

Speed skater Miho Takagi secured bronze medals in three events. Although she missed the podium in the women’s 1,500 meters, her specialty, her all-out performances touched people’s hearts.

The competition venues for this Winter Games were spread over an unprecedented 22,000 square kilometers or so of northern Italy. International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry described the Games as a “successful” model that proved “a new way of doing things.”

Olympic Games are typically held in a single city, but the enormous costs are a burden on host cities, dampening enthusiasm for bidding to host the Games elsewhere.

Furthermore, due to global warming, the number of potential host cities for a Winter Olympics is expected to decrease in the future.

The question is whether this edition of the Olympics can serve as a model for reducing the burden on host cities, while searching for a sustainable vision of the Games. The IOC should conduct a thorough review of the Milano Cortina Games and identify challenges and lessons.

The Olympic truce resolution, which had been adopted by the U.N. General Assembly before the Olympics in Italy started, was not observed. Russia continued to carry out major airstrikes on Ukraine even after the opening ceremony.

A Ukrainian skeleton athlete was disqualified for attempting to compete wearing a helmet adorned with photos of fellow athletes killed by Russia’s aggression.

It is regrettable that the unrelenting fighting cast a shadow over this “festival of peace.”

During these Olympics, too, there have been serious cases of social media posts that slandered and defamed athletes. Olympians have made efforts beyond imagination to reach this dream stage. There is absolutely no reason for them to be subjected to heartless words.

 (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Feb. 23, 2026)