Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala and his Cortina d'Ampezzo counterpart Gianpietro Ghedina waved the Flag together - a first in Olympic history - marking a poignant moment for Milan Cortina 2026.

Malagò, who tested positive for COVID-19 during his time in Beijing, said his team had a "high sense of responsibility"  as he looks ahead to a "long sprint" to the 2026 Games.

Preparations for Milan Cortina 2026 have been hit by delays, but Malagò has pledged to pick up the pace when he returns from Beijing.

"From June 2019, when we won the bid, our country went through a number of different Governments which is also a peculiarity of our country," said Malagò.

"The bureaucratic machine that should manage the public agency supervising the infrastructures has started to work with a big delay.

"This is a matter of fact.

"After we get back from Beijing, we will need to make up for the time we missed and focus on the delivery."

Malagò, head of the Italian National Olympic Committee, has also spoken of his determination to "strengthen the message of the Olympic spirit" in the lead-up to Milan Cortina 2026.

"Over the past days, all international media have been talking about a possible war, but they all also mention the respect of the Olympic Truce that goes beyond all conflicts and controversies for all countries," said Malagò.

"Today, the five rings represent the most iconic trademark in the world.

"We, as Milan Cortina, need to capitalise on this powerful message, a real-life 'winning card', which means unity, confidence and enthusiasm for our country and for the world.

"This surely is something special and unique."

It will be the third time Italy has played host to the Winter Olympics after Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 and Turin 2006.

The 2026 Games will take place in Milan and the mountainous Cortina d’Ampezzo - two locations separated by 450 kilometres.

The Olympic Handover Flag will be flown back to Italy, where it is to be taken into the custody of the Milan Cortina 2026 Organising Committee until the conclusion of the Paralympic Games.

A welcome ceremony for the it and the Paralympic Flag will take place in the middle of March to mark the arrival of both Olympic and Paralympic handover banners.

It is customary for the Olympic Flag to be displayed in the relevant municipal offices, but never before have two cities or towns been involved in this way.

There have been suggestions that duplicate flags could be made.

The Opening Ceremony of the next Winter Olympics is set to be held at the San Siro on February 6 in 2026 with the Closing Ceremony expected to take place at the Verona Arena - a Roman amphitheatre in the Italian city - on February 20.