Federico Pellegrino: “There’s no better way to end my career”.
Italy set the tone for its home Olympic Games. Its National Olympic Committee (CONI) was the first to unveil its flag bearers, at 12.12pm on 12 December. And it went one step further, going beyond the requirement for the 2022 Olympics to have one man and one woman.
“I’ve tried to set an example throughout my career”.
For the 2026 Olympics in Milan/Cortina (6-22 February), Italy will be relying on four flag-bearers, all of whom have already won medals: Federica Brignone (alpine skiing), Arianna Fontana (short-track), Amos Mosaner (curling) and Federico Pellegrino (cross-country skiing). “We took a number of criteria into account: balance of representation, parity and representation between the federations. We looked at the CVs and the track record,” explains Luciano Buonfiglio, President of the CONI.
Federico Pellegrino, who won silver in the classic sprint at Pyeongchang 2018 (South Korea) and the skate sprint at Beijing 2022 (China), is competing in his final season on the world circuit. He was touched by the decision: ” I learned the news with great joy and emotion,” he explained in a press release. Throughout my career, I’ve tried to set an example and I’ve always felt a responsibility to the younger generation, to represent my country on the world stage. All this fills me with pride. I’m proud to be the first athlete from the Valle d’Aosta to occupy this role, and I’m also proud of the Fiamme Oro sports group that I represent. What ‘ s more, I don’t think there could have been a better way to end my cross-country skiing career than at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Games. “
A long round trip from the competition site
The announcement didn’t faze him, as that same day he came second in the sprint skate team at the World Cup in Davos (Switzerland, with Elia Barp). And he did it again the next day in the sprint skate, only beaten in the photo finish by Frenchman Lucas Chanavat.
At the ceremony on Friday 6 February, Federico Pellegrino will march in the San Siro Olympic stadium in Milan. This will not be the case for all the flag bearers, as the athletes will also be parading in Predazzo, Livigno and Cortina d’Ampezzo. He will be able to afford the long journey from the competition site in Tesero (300km), as he won’t be starting his competition until two days later, in the skiathlon. Unless he reserves himself for the classic sprint, scheduled for Tuesday 10th.
