Washington (USA), 13 March (LaPresse) – The Italian Ambassador to the United States, Marco Peronaci, and the Chief Financial Officer of Warner Bros. Discovery, Gunnar Wiedenfels, hosted the ‘Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 Celebration’ on Thursday evening at Villa Firenze in Washington. At the start of the event, Peronaci emphasised that “Italy was extremely proud to host the Games. This edition gave us incredible emotions and brought people from all over the world together in the spirit of sport and friendship”. Echoing the words of Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, the ambassador emphasised that “Italy is investing in sports diplomacy as a tool to reaffirm its commitment to peace, growth and international cooperation”. Wiedenfels commented: “Warner Bros. Discovery has always aimed to help shape key moments of our time, and this mission led us, more than ten years ago, to make an unprecedented commitment to secure the European television rights for the Olympic Games. Today we are proud to be the home of the Olympics in Europe, reaching nearly 50 markets in 21 languages.” He added: “There is no sporting event more iconic than the Olympics, and this is a true testament to the power of sport and its ability to create shared experiences, facilitate diplomacy, and connect and inspire people around the world.” Several distinguished guests attended the evening, including members of the US administration such as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers and Federal Reserve Vice Chair Michelle Bowman. Also present were members of the Diplomatic Corps, media representatives, business leaders and prominent figures from the Italian and Italian-American communities.
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