Milano Cortina 2026: A Connected Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Powered by Samsung – Setting the Stage for LA28 Games

The Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 have officially come to a close, marking a new chapter in Samsung’s nearly three-decade partnership with the Olympic and Paralympic Movement. Across mountains, cities and stadiums – from San Siro to the slopes of Livigno, from the Olympic Village to the heart of Milan – Samsung’s mobile innovation helped connect athletes, fans and communities in every moment.

Guided by the message “Open always wins”, Samsung brought new perspectives to the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, opening up podium celebrations, broadcast storytelling, athlete connections and everyday interactions in ways that felt more personal, more immersive and more human than ever before.

Key Milano Cortina 2026 numbers:

• Victory Selfie: the Victory Selfie was incorporated into the official medal ceremony across all events at the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026
• Team Samsung Galaxy: 73 athletes across 18 countries shared their stories throughout Milano Cortina 2026
• Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Editions distributed: To nearly 3,800 Olympic and Paralympic athletes
• Opening Ceremony broadcast integration: 26 Galaxy S25 Ultra devices embedded with Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS)
• Interpreter-enabled Games-time support: 850+ Galaxy devices embedded with Interpreter provided across the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games footprint
• Galaxy Charging Station: 64 stations helped spectators stay powered throughout the Games

The Samsung Newsroom revisits the defining milestones that shaped Milano Cortina 2026.

Winning Together: Victory Selfie Becomes Iconic Podium Culture

On the Olympic podium, the instinct to share a once-in-a-lifetime achievement comes naturally. Victory Selfie captures that instinct —as a real, athlete-shaped moment of connection, self-expression and shared celebration.

Gold medalists of Team United States, silver medalists of Team Japan and bronze medalists of Team Italy pose for a Victory Selfie after the figure skating team event. (Photo by Andreas Rentz / Getty Images)

At Milano Cortina 2026, Victory Selfie continued to grow into an iconic podium culture, reflecting how athletes choose to remember and share the emotion of the moment — whether standing alone, side by side, or as a team. Powered by the Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition, medallists captured their victories directly from the podium, turning medal moments into personal, shareable memories in their own voice.

Across the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Victory Selfie became an official part of the medal ceremony across all events — reinforcing the podium as more than a ceremonial stage, but a cultural moment of unity, gratitude and celebration.

In a broader sense, Victory Selfie also reflected the spirit of openness — showing that the Olympic and Paralympic Games are not only about competition, but about sportsmanship, connection and the moments that bring people together beyond results.

That same spirit continued beyond the podium, as Team Samsung Galaxy shared “Open always wins” stories throughout the Games, with 73 members across 18 countries bringing fans closer to the athletes and moments behind the Games.

Nearly 3,800 Athletes Connected With the Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition

For Milano Cortina 2026, Samsung provided the Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition to nearly 3,800 Olympians and Paralympians. Designed as an intelligent, pocket-sized companion, the Olympic Edition supported athletes from Olympic Village life to medal ceremonies.

U.S. figure skaters, including Team Samsung Galaxy star and Milano Cortina 2026 gold medallist Alysa Liu, show off their Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition at the Samsung Open Station in the Olympic Village. (Photo courtesy of Samsung Electronics)

With Galaxy AI at the core, the Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition helped athletes communicate, create and share more seamlessly throughout their Games-time journey. Key capabilities included:

• Interpreter[1], powered by Galaxy AI — enabling real-time translation processed directly on device, helping conversations stay natural
• Dual Recording[2], allowing athletes to capture both sides of a moment at once — their reactions and the world around them — for richer, more immersive storytelling
• Photo Assist[3], supporting fast, high-quality edits that helped athletes be creative and share memorable images with ease
• Now Brief[4], delivering personalized daily updates such as reminders and calendar events to support a smoother routine amid an intense schedule
• Games-time athlete services and connectivity support, including access to Athlete365, the Galaxy Athlete Card helping athletes stay informed and connected throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games

The device’s distinctive design — combining Samsung’s signature blue with a custom gold frame — symbolized both unity and excellence, reflecting the spirit of Milano Cortina 2026.

Dynamic Perspectives: Galaxy Devices Integrated Into the Opening Ceremony Broadcast

Milano Cortina 2026 also expanded how fans experienced Games-time storytelling. In collaboration with Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), Samsung helped introduce new, immersive perspectives into the Opening Ceremony broadcast environment.

For the first time at an Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony, 26 Galaxy S25 Ultra devices were embedded across the live broadcast setting. Positioned across athlete entrance tunnels, stadium stands and dynamic camera rig placements, Galaxy devices captured immersive views wirelessly and in real time — complementing traditional broadcast infrastructure and helping viewers worldwide feel closer to the emotion of the moment.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra helped film the live broadcast of the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 at San Siro Olympic Stadium (Photo courtesy of Samsung Electronics)

From the Parade of Nations to behind-the-scenes celebrations, athletes also used their Galaxy devices to capture and share personal Opening Ceremony memories — extending the experience beyond the stadium into the hands of the people who lived it.

Beyond the Spotlight: Connecting Everyday Moments Across the Olympic and Paralympic Games

Across Olympic Villages and venues, Samsung equipped select Games-time support teams with Galaxy devices featuring Interpreter, powered by Galaxy AI — enabling real-time translation processed directly on device, supporting day-to-day interactions.

Team Samsung Galaxy figure skater Daniel Grassl of Italy uses Galaxy AI-powered Interpreter at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Village (Photo courtesy of Samsung Electronics).

In total, more than 850 Galaxy devices embedded with Interpreter were provided to a select group of volunteers to support Games-time assistance across the event, helping conversations stay smooth, welcoming and human-centered.

Inside competition venues, Samsung technology also supported operations and fair play. Samsung monitors supported officiating in Short-Track Speed Skating disciplines, contributing to operational clarity and consistency during competition.

Around host cities and venues, 64 Galaxy Charging Stations helped spectators stay powered during long event days, ensuring meaningful moments could be captured and shared in real time, without interruption.

Samsung House: A Central Hub for Openness

At the heart of Milan, inside the historic Palazzo Serbelloni, Samsung House became a central gathering space for athletes, media and partners throughout both the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

A view of Samsung House, inside the historic Palazzo Serbelloni, in Milan, Italy (Photo courtesy of Samsung Electronics)

It hosted National Olympic Committee events, live competition viewings, athlete visits, media engagements and stakeholder meetings – creating space for reflection and shared celebration beyond competition.

The venue also showcased Samsung’s Olympic legacy through the Olympic Edition Gallery, featuring Olympic Editions from across the years and bridging nearly four decades of innovation with the present through Milano Cortina 2026.

Norwegian speed skater and 5000m gold medallist Sander Eitrem visits Samsung House and takes a Victory profile photo with the Galaxy S25 Ultra. (Photo courtesy of Samsung Electronics)

Meanwhile, the Victory Profile portrait series was captured on Galaxy S25 Ultra — featuring athletes throughout Milano Cortina 2026 — and visitors were invited to step into the experience themselves, using the same device to capture their own moment.

Opening Up the Future: From Milano Cortina 2026 to LA28

From Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Editions distributed to thousands of athletes, to broadcast integration, AI-powered communication tools and Games-time operational support, Samsung’s role at Milano Cortina 2026 reflected the evolving way the world experiences the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

As Milano Cortina 2026 came to a close, attention began to shift toward what comes next. Building on the spirit of “Open always wins”, Samsung will continue to open up the Olympic and Paralympic experience with new perspectives, new technologies and new generations, ensuring that connection remains at the heart of the Olympic and Paralympic Games at LA28.

[1] Interpreter requires Samsung Account login. Certain languages may require language pack download. Service availability may vary by language. Accuracy of results is not guaranteed. Availability and supported features may vary by country, region or carrier. Availability of supported languages may vary. Supported languages include Korean, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Polish, Hindi, Thai, Vietnamese, Russian, Bahasa Indonesia, Arabic, Dutch, Swedish, Turkish, Romanian, Filipino, and Gujarati.

[2] Dual Recording zoom-in feature supports up to 10x.

[3] Photo Assist may require a network connection and Samsung Account login. Service availability may vary by country, language or device model. Photo Assist may result in a resized photo. A visible watermark is overlaid on the image output upon saving in order to indicate that the image is generated by AI. The accuracy and reliability of the generated output is not guaranteed.

[4] Now Brief feature requires Samsung Account login. Service availability may vary by country, language, device model, apps. Some features may require a network connection. The description of photos provided by moments may not align with the user’s intent. Notifications for dog walking require SmartTag2 and Pet Care in SmartThings to be activated. SmartTag2 sold separately. Notifications must be switched on to be used as the recalled data. Recalled data available from supported app notifications, Messages, Gmail and Samsung Wallet and data collected from Gmail is only applicable if the user consents to Personal Data Intelligent’s Gmail read permission. Recalled data for reservation details only available from reservation confirmation messages. Users must accept Samsung’s privacy policy and terms of use prior to using this feature.