Switzerland’s Alina Muller named flag bearer for 2026 Winter Olympic closing ceremony
One of the best players in Italy is going to proudly wave her country’s colors.
On Sunday, it was announced that Switzerland forward Alina Müller will be thecountry’s flag bearer at the Closing Ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Alina Muller has been chosen as a closing ceremony flag bearer for Switzerland The Boston Fleet star scored the OT winner to secure Switzerland’s bronze medal
Müller will be the Swiss’ lone flag bearer, as no male athlete was named. She’s the second hockey player to be named to carry a flag at the Closing Ceremony. Team USA captain Hilary Knight, fresh off winning the gold medal in her final Winter Games, will carry the stars and stripes in the final festivities in Italy.
Müller will also be bringing home some hardware. Thanks to the 27-year-old’s efforts in Milan, Switzerland finished third in the women’s hockey tournament. Along with beating Czecha in the group stage, Eisgenossinnen stunned Finland in the quarterfinals and gave Canada a run for its money in the semis. Then, in the bronze medal game against a strong Swedish team, Switzerland rallied back to win, with Müller scoring the game-winning goal in overtime.
It was just the second time the women’s hockey team had finished on the podium at the Winter Games, and the first since the Sochi Olympics in 2014, when Müller, at the age of 15, was credited with the game-winning goal in the bronze medal game against Sweden.
The Winterthur native had quite the performance in Italy. She led the team with four goals and six points in seven games, finishing tied with Sweden’s Thea Johansson and USA’s Hananh Bilka for the most goals in the tournament. Müller was also named to the Media All-Star Team.
The Closing Ceremony is set to take place at the Verona Arena in Verona, Italy, almost halfway between the host cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Festivities on Sunday are scheduled to begin around 2:30 p.m. ET.