Hundreds of Italians protested against the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Verona on Sunday, February 22, just hours before the closing ceremony at the city's arena. Demonstrators, holding signs with slogans like "5 rings, 1,000 debts" and "Olympics, no thanks!", voiced concerns over the economic and ecological costs of the Games, which exceeded 5.2 billion euros. They criticized the significant investment in infrastructure, such as the 120 million euro Cortina d'Ampezzo bobsleigh track, arguing that funds could have been better allocated to essential services like healthcare and education. Protesters also raised issues regarding the environmental impact and the exclusion of Israel from the Games.