The announcement
Nicolò Govoni will be one of the Olympic flag bearers at the Opening Ceremony of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, scheduled to take place on February 6, 2026, at San Siro Stadium in Milan. The announcement was confirmed today by the International Olympic Committee. “This is, without question, the greatest honor of my life so far,” Nicolò Govoni said. “Carrying the Olympic flag as a symbol of Peace on such an important occasion means showing the world that civic engagement – no matter how small- can help shape a better future.”
The Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony is one of the most solemn and symbolically significant moments of the Olympic Games. Watched by nearly two billion people worldwide, it represents a unique opportunity to articulate a shared vision of the world we seek to build together – one grounded in harmony among individuals and peoples. This vision is fully aligned with that of Still I Rise, the nonprofit organization Govoni leads as its CEO and co-founder. At Milano-Cortina 2026, the entrance of the Olympic Flag takes on particular significance, conveying a message of peace that resonates strongly in today’s global context. Govoni’s presence as a flag bearer recognizes both his long-standing commitment to human rights as well as the values he embodies, in clear alignment with the universal principles of the Olympic Games.
Who is Nicolò Govoni
Nicolò Govoni is a writer and human rights activist who serves as President and CEO of the nonprofit organization Still I Rise. Raised in Cremona, he left home at the age of twenty to volunteer in India, where he lived for four years and earned a degree in journalism. At twenty-five, he founded Still I Rise, a humanitarian organization dedicated to building and operating schools that provide top-tier education to some of the world’s most vulnerable children across Greece, Syria, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yemen, Colombia, and South Sudan. In 2020, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Since 2015, he has written eight books. His life and the story of Still I Rise are the focus of the documentary film School of Life (2025), produced by Groenlandia and Rai Cinema. He currently lives and works in Nairobi.
About Still I Rise
Still I Rise is an international nonprofit organization founded in 2018 to bring educational excellence to refugee and vulnerable children around the world. Through its Emergency Schools and International Schools, it has developed a transformative educational model that tackles the root causes of the global education crisis. Headquartered in Italy, Still I Rise operates in Syria, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Colombia, Yemen, and South Sudan, with additional Schools planned to open in India and Italy.
