Other meanings of Milan-Cortina
Olympic Games
The 2026 Winter Olympics, officially the XXV Olympic Winter Games and branded as Milan–Cortina 2026, is an upcoming international multi-sport event scheduled to be held from 6 to 22 February 2026 in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, with other venues across northern Italy. It will mark the third time Italy has hosted the Winter Olympics, after Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1956 and Turin in 2006, and the first time the Games are jointly awarded to two cities.
The Milan–Cortina bid was announced in 2018 and won the right to host the Games at the 134th IOC Session in Lausanne on 24 June 2019, defeating Stockholm–Åre by 47 votes to 34. The bid emphasized the use of existing venues and a compact regional footprint, with Milan serving as the main hub for ice sports and Cortina for alpine events. The Italian government provided financial guarantees, and the bid was supported by the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI). The victory marked the first time Italy hosted the Winter Games since Turin 2006 and the first time two cities co-hosted the Winter Olympics.
The Games will use a mix of new and existing venues spread across northern Italy. Milan will host the opening ceremony at the San Siro stadium and the ice hockey and figure skating events at the new PalaItalia and the existing Mediolanum Forum. Cortina d'Ampezzo will stage alpine skiing, biathlon, and curling at the historic Olympic Ice Stadium and the new Cortina Sliding Centre. Other venues include the Val di Fiemme for cross-country skiing and ski jumping, and the Livigno ski resort for snowboard and freestyle skiing. The high-speed rail link between Milan and Cortina will be upgraded to improve travel times, and a new cable car system is planned for the Cortina area.
The programme will feature eight sports and 116 medal events, including the debut of ski mountaineering as an official Olympic sport, with mixed relay and individual events. Alpine skiing will see the addition of a mixed team parallel event, and women's ski jumping will expand to include the large hill. The Games will also introduce a new format for the Nordic combined, with a women's event for the first time. The schedule is designed to maximize spectator engagement, with evening finals in prime time for European audiences. The IOC has emphasized sustainability, with a target of using 100% renewable energy for the Games.
One of the most unusual aspects of the Milan–Cortina Games is the decision to hold the figure skating and short track speed skating events in a temporary arena built inside the former Milan fairgrounds, which will be dismantled after the Games. The sliding centre in Cortina was initially planned to be rebuilt, but cost overruns led to a controversial decision to use the existing track in Innsbruck, Austria, for bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton events, marking the first time a Winter Olympics has used a venue outside the host country. The Games will also feature a new 'sustainability medal' design, made from recycled materials, and a mascot named 'Tina' and 'Milo', inspired by the ermine and the snowflake, respectively. The opening ceremony will be directed by the Italian film director Gabriele Salvatores, known for his Oscar-winning film 'Mediterraneo'.
All information is based on official sources and reputable media reports as of the knowledge cutoff.
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