OBS open for Milano Cortina blends Olympic motion with Italian visual heritage

The Olympic Broadcasting Services‘ open for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics packs a series of sports imagery into an animated sequence accented with motion lines and visual references to Italy.

The sequence typically airs before OBS begins broadcasting its coverage of any number of Olympic events, which rights-holding broadcasters can dip into as they see fit. Some broadcasters take the feed as is, while others, including the U.S.’s NBC, cover the open with their own opens and intros. 

OBS has returned to a flat illustration style after using a more 3D approach for the 2024, 2022 and 2020-2021 Olympics.

For Milano Cortina, the intro begins with the iconic Vitruvian Man sketched by Leonardo da Vinci, who was a key figure in the Italian Renaissance. 

The drawing, which features a human figure in 16 superimposed poses meant to illustrate ideal proportions of the body, is often used in medical textbooks, studies on movement and as a general symbol for both Leonardo’s skills and the Renaissance in general. 

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The drawing is briefly shown in its familiar brown shade with hints of its hand-drawn, aged appearance. Both the box, which is meant to represent the earth, and the circle, a reference to the cosmos and spirit, become animated, revealing that they serve as a transition to the rest of the sequence.

As part of the reveal, a figure skater in a post similar to the Vitruvian Man is revealed, rendered in the distinct style of past OBS opens.

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The open then goes through a sequence of other action-packed scenes, which include visual references to Italian landmarks as well as distinct elements representing motion, a key part of almost any sporting event. The “crown” of the Dolomite mountains makes multiple appearances and is a key visual included across many rights-holders’ broadcast packages.

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Much of the color palette is anchored in various blues and white, but shades of green, violet, yellow and red are worked into various scenes. 

The final screen reveals a collage-style view of the athletes showcased earlier in the open gathered together in front of an eclectic landscape of Italian architecture and natural landmarks.  

OBS Paris Olympics open captures action of the games amid host city’s iconic architecture