The marching order for the national delegations at the official opening ceremony of the 25th Winter Olympic Games in Italy has been confirmed, with Azerbaijan set to appear early in the parade.
According to Idman.Biz, the Azerbaijani team will pass in front of spectators 11th out of 92 participating countries. The national flag will be carried jointly by alpine skier Anastasia Papatoma and figure skater Vladimir Litvintsev, symbolising Azerbaijan’s representation across winter disciplines.
As per Olympic tradition, the parade of nations will begin with Greece, the birthplace of the Olympic movement, while the host nation will enter the stadium last. The ceremony will take place at the iconic San Siro stadium in Milan and is scheduled to begin at 23:00 Baku time, formally declaring the Games open.
Following the ceremony, Azerbaijan’s athletes will turn their focus to competition. Litvintsev is due to begin his campaign on 10 February in Milan with the men’s figure skating short programme. Papatoma will compete in alpine skiing events in Cortina d’Ampezzo, taking part in the giant slalom on 15 February and the slalom three days later.
The 25th Winter Olympic Games will run from 6 to 26 February, while the Paralympic Winter Games are scheduled for 6 to 15 March. It is also worth noting that competition at the Olympics began earlier, with curling events starting on 4 February.
