MILAN (AP) — Thousands of people gather each evening in Milan to watch the Olympic cauldron, inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s intricate knot patterns, as it swells and pulsates with colored light to an original soundtrack in a spectacle that is quickly becoming a focal point of the Milan-Cortina Winter Games.
The Milan cauldron itself is dramatically suspended beneath the Arco della Pace, or Arch of Peace, erected to honor Napoleon’s expulsion of the detested Austro-Hungarian rulers from Milan. The landmark Sforza Castle is perfectly framed in the background.
The crowd in front of the arch fell to a hush as the sound-and-light show began Monday evening, raising their phones to record the four-minute interplay of engineering, light and soundtrack by Roberto Cacciapaglia, who also composed music for the opening ceremony.
The Olympic flame is encased in a glass and metal container at the core of the Leonardo-inspired structure, which expands from just over 3 meters to 4 1/2 meters (from nearly 10 feet to nearly 15 feet). The show animates Leonardo's geometric studies, finishing in a flourish of pulsating elliptical lights as the outer structure reflects and amplifies the flame.
The Renaissance genius spent nearly 25 years in Milan, where he painted The Last Supper, designed the famed canal system and worked inside the Sforza Castle, which is now showing a long-hidden wall and ceiling painting to Olympic visitors.
An identical cauldron is suspended on a specially built tripod in host city Cortina d'Ampezzo's main square, where the same show is also being held six times from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. throughout the Olympics and Paralympics.
Giulia Orlando, a student from Florence, joined the crowd Monday evening to take in some of the Olympic spirit.
“It was very emotional, like even the music choice was very inspiring. Just seeing a lot of people here together just to see the light show was a joyful vibe, you know what I mean? Everybody together,” said Orlando, adding she was enjoying taking in the mood and seeing athletes around Milan, even if she doesn't make it to a competitive event.
The cauldrons were engineered by the Fincantieri shipyard, but manufactured with aeronautical aluminum in the U.K. to avoid having any of the design elements leaked before their unveiling, said Marco Balich, who led the cauldron project and produced the opening ceremony.
The receptacles within the cauldrons are deliberately small due to sustainability concerns, reducing the amount of gas consumed to keep the Olympic flame lit throughout the Games.
Balich described the cauldrons as “experiential objects,’’ adding that ‘’we made something that has a life, has a spectacle attached to it, an emotional spectacle.’’
While Paris continues to display the 2024 Olympic cauldron in the Tuileries Gardens in the summer months, Balich said no such plans had yet been made for Milan or Cortina.
"I would really hope this object that represents so much can be kept as a memory of this very beautiful moment,'' Balich said.
A view of the Olympic cauldron during the evening light show, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Annie Risemberg)
A view of the Olympic cauldron at the Arco della Pace, during the evening light show, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Annie Risemberg)
A view of the lit cauldron at the Arco della Pace during the Olympic opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
MILAN (AP) — U.S. figure skater Amber Glenn says she has smoothed out copyright concerns with the artist behind one of the pieces of her free skate music, and that the Olympic team gold medalist may have struck up a new friendship with him because of it.
Canadian artist Seb McKinnon, who produces music under the name CLANN, had taken to social media after Glenn performed her free skate to conclude the team event Sunday and expressed surprise that his song, “The Return,” was used as part of the program.
“So just found out an Olympic figure skater used one of my songs without permission for their routine. It aired all over the world ... what? Is that usual practice for the Olympics?” McKinnon posted to X, before eventually congratulating Glenn on her medal.
Figure skaters are required to obtain copyright permission for the music they use. But the process is confusing and prone to mistakes, and several skaters at the Milan Cortina Games have had to change programs at the last minute because of it.
“The issue of music rights can be complex and confusing,” Glenn said in a statement. “Seems like there was a hiccup in that whole process. I’m glad we cleared things up with Seb and I look forward to collaborating with him.”
It was not clear where the hiccup occurred. Glenn has been performing to “The Return” for the past two years without any issues.
“It was a dream come true to perform at the Olympic Games and to have Seb acknowledge my performance and congratulate me afterward made the moment even more special,” Glenn said. “It’s my sincere hope that I was able to help create new fans of both figure skating and Seb. We will move forward and continue supporting both artists and the skating community.”
McKinnon, whose debut feature film will be released soon, said he was not trying to cause a controversy with his social media post.
“There's absolutely no hate on my side,” he said. “At the same time I just want to make sure the artist rights are respected.”
The issue of copyright is a relatively new problem in figure skating, because for generations the only music that could be used was mostly part of the public domain. But when the International Skating Union relaxed its regulations in 2014 and athletes began using more modern music reflective of their own personality, some artists began to demand compensation for their work.
The ISU has been working to help skaters avoid copyright problems, but several still have popped up during the Winter Games.
Spanish skater Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate had to work feverishly to obtain approval for the music to his short program, set to a medley from the animated film “Minions.” Sabate had been performing the popular program all season, only to learn Universal Studios was poised to reject its use during the Winter Games. He got the final approval he needed last Friday.
Russian skater Petr Gumennik did have to change his short program two days before the start of competition Tuesday night because he did not have the proper permission for music from “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer,” a psychological thriller. He pivoted to “Waltz 1805” by Edgar Hakobyan, for which Gumennik was able to get permission.
As for Glenn, the three-time U.S. champion has become an unintentional lightning rod during the Olympics.
An outspoken LGBTQ+ rights activist, Glenn said she has been receiving threats following a pre-Olympics press conference in which she said that the queer community is going through a “hard time” amid the political climate under President Donald Trump.
“I was disappointed because I’ve never had so many people wish me harm before, just for being me and speaking about being decent — human rights and decency,” Glenn said Sunday night, wearing an LGBTQ+ pin on her team jacket during the team medal ceremony.
“So that was really disappointing,” Glenn added, “and I do think it kind of lowered that excitement for this.”
Glenn spent most of Monday making the TV rounds with several of her teammates to celebrate their gold medals, the second straight for the Americans in the Olympic team event. Then she planned to head to a training camp outside of Milan to prepare for the women's individual competition, which begins with the short program on Feb. 17.
“For all of us first-time Olympians, you saw our nerves, and (it was good) just getting them out,” Glenn said following the team event. "So I’m really grateful that I was able to have this opportunity ahead of the individual.”
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Amber Glenn of the United States competes during the figure skating women's team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
From left, Amber Glenn and ice dance team Madison Chock and Evan Bates celebrate winning the gold medal after the figure skating team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Team USA's Amber Glenn celebrates with her gold medal after the figure skating team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
