From the creative side to security, from sport to culture, finance to design – there is nothing that escapes the Olympic Games. They encapsulate everything society is at a given point in time.
It is a sweeping statement but, then again, so are the Games themselves. And in 2026, that breadth of work will take on a new, amplified dimension – at least geographically speaking.
Spanning 22,000 km² of northern Italy, Milano Cortina 2026 will become the most widespread Games in Olympic history. It will extend from the bustling streets of Milan to the silent peaks of Livigno at the Swiss border, from the glamorous resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo to a Roman amphitheatre in Verona, as well as several other destinations in between.
Beyond phenomenal sport, it will showcase an unprecedented model of hosting, bringing together regions of different political and economic colours, multiple languages (three are spoken in South Tyrol alone) and diverse traditions – all converging in one Olympic embrace.
“That diversity is really interesting,” Dubi reflects.
The vast spread of Milano Cortina 2026 is not born out of a desire to expand, but quite the opposite: a need to shrink the Olympic footprint. Aligned with the Olympic Agenda reforms, Milano Cortina 2026 is leveraging the territory’s existing facilities to deliver more sustainable Games. In other words, the Games are adapting to their context rather than reshaping it. The world first saw this vision fully materialise in Paris, where temporary venues rose at some of the city’s most iconic landmarks – the Seine, the Eiffel Tower, Place de la Concorde – for the 2024 Olympic Games.
For Milano Cortina, the same principle will unfold in an entirely different way. If Paris brought competition into the dense, urban heart of the metropolis, Milano Cortina 2026 will scatter it across the mountain valleys of northern Italy, leaning into the region’s long-standing love of winter sports.
From Alpine skiing World Cups to biathlon World Championships and, of course, the Cortina d’Ampezzo 1956 Olympic Winter Games, the territories of Milano Cortina 2026 are already primed for winter competition.
Italy has one of the largest expansions of the Alps. People might associate this country more with the Mediterranean and the art in the cities, but mountain traditions and sports are very much part of our culture.
Add to that Milan’s own pedigree in hosting large-scale events – an annual extravaganza of fashion shows and design fairs, UEFA Champions League finals and Expo 2015 – and there’s no shortage of infrastructure to bring these Games to life.
Likewise, human expertise also abounds, with many members of the Milano Cortina 2026 OCOG returning from the Turin 2006 Olympic Winter Games.
“It’s quite unusual to host the Games twice in a country within one professional lifespan,” notes Varnier, also pointing to the volunteers: more than half of the 120,000 who applied bring experience from previous international sporting events.
While the footprint may be lighter, the impact of hosting sport in such iconic venues will be anything but. For Milano Cortina 2026, many competitions will be returning to their “spiritual homes”, places that have shaped legends and inspired generations.
“A lot of people will get the chance of winning the ‘Wimbledon’ of their sport, and that’s quite rare,” notes Pierre Ducrey, the IOC’s Sports Director.
When biathletes glide, rifles slung across their backs, through the forests towards the Anterselva Biathlon Arena, they will know they’re arriving at the mecca of their sport – where the sharp crack of shots has echoed for over 50 years. And when Alpine skiers launch themselves down Bormio’s Stelvio slope, one of the steepest and most unforgiving descents in the world, it will be clear why this course has long separated the daring from the great.
Likewise, the Olympia delle Tofane, also known as the “Queen of Speed”, awaits with her sweeping curves and plunging straights, once again promising to crown champions just as she did 70 years earlier in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Even the Cortina Sliding Centre, one of the few new venues, carries a sense of return: laid on the grounds of a former track, it will rekindle a community’s thrill for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton, sports that once defined the town’s winter identity.
For the athletes, these venues are more than just picturesque backdrops. They, in many cases, represent the pinnacle of their disciplines – the toughest slopes, the fastest tracks, the loudest crowds.
There’s nothing like going into a venue that is full of spectators that know your sport.
He would know: Mehrabi competed at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in a country where his sport, badminton, draws some of its most passionate fans.
This is what will make Milano Cortina 2026 so compelling: the Games will not only be a showcase of athletic excellence but also a pilgrimage of sorts, bringing the world’s best to the very crucibles of their craft. Even for ski mountaineering, making its Olympic debut, the symbolism is strong: it will take place on the Alpine peaks that shaped the sport.
Evidently, not all winter sports have their roots firmly planted in Italy – and that, too, is part of the excitement. The ice sports, which are less embedded in the country’s culture, will fittingly find their stage in Milan, a city with a flair for novelty and reinvention.
There, athletes will race to the city’s own rhythm – dynamic, elegant and always ahead of the curve.
Speed skating will be held for the very first time in a temporary venue within the pavilions of Fiera Milano Rho, the sprawling trade fair complex better known for design weeks and conferences, transformed into an Olympic ice oval. Ice hockey, meanwhile, will occupy a brand new arena destined to remain one of Milan’s major concert and entertainment venues after the Games.
The city’s Olympic Village, too, is built with an afterlife in mind: it will transform into much-needed student housing, energising a neighbourhood rising on a former railyard, already touted as Milan’s next cultural hub.
Milano Cortina 2026 tells a really beautiful story – with some sports returning to their ancestral homes in the mountains, and others carving new urban identities in the city,
The spread of Milano Cortina 2026 inevitably brings a unique set of logistical puzzles. Staging a single Games across snowy distances is no easy feat and, with venues far apart, everything must be choreographed to work seamlessly for both athletes and spectators. Each cluster will have its own Olympic Village and facilities, with sports grouped to appeal to similar audiences. And yet, rather than feeling fragmented, every territory must become a self-contained microcosm of the wider Games.
“In these Games, we will show that whatever the size of the territory you operate, you’re still under one spirit, one roof – the Olympic Games,” says Dubi with confidence.
The model also unlocks new opportunities for Italy and future hosts: the legacy of the Olympics can ripple further afield, reaching small towns and mountain communities rarely seen on the global stage. For fans travelling to Italy and viewers at home, it offers a chance to discover corners of the country beyond the usual cities in the limelight – be it witnessing the enrosadira of the Dolomites where rocks glow pink and orange at sunrise, tasting the high-altitude gastronomy of South Tyrol or soaking in the centuries-old Roman baths of Bormio with views of the snowy peaks.
“Not only are these beautiful places that deserve to be known, but many of them have very sophisticated and forward-thinking tourism strategies,” notes Dubi.
An important glue binding these far-flung experiences will be the Games’ Opening Ceremony. For the first time, it will unfold across multiple regions, using technology and creativity to connect the main stage at Milan’s San Siro with stages in Cortina, Livigno and Predazzo. The format, although challenging from a production perspective, will allow more athletes than ever before to join in the action, taking part from their own clusters as they await the start of their competitions. Off the field of play, local festivities, exhibitions and cultural happenings will also help bridge the distance – lighting up mountain towns with the Olympic spirit.
“You need to have the connection with others to understand what is going on at night in Milan and Livigno when you are in Cortina,” says Dubi. “Our phones help, of course, but so will giant screens in public squares, bringing the frenzy of Milan to Cortina – and vice versa.”
If the spectacle of Milano Cortina 2026 brings the diversity of its territories into focus, part of its legacy will be to make these distinct realities feel more connected in the years ahead. For decades, the story of the Alps has often been one of migration – people leaving the mountains for the opportunities of the cities. Milano Cortina 2026 proposes a different vision: one that redefines the relationship between mountain and city in a more balanced, sustainable way, where one does not overshadow or drain the other, but both propel each other in their uniqueness.
“While the Olympic Games cannot solve wars, environmental issues or the depopulation of some mountain villages,” notes Varnier.
by Gaia Lutz
Gaia Lutz is Brazilian journalist based in Lisbon. Her reporting has taken her across Portugal, exploring topics ranging from the vibrant lusophone music scene in Lisbon to the city's emerging design landscape, the ethical and sustainable agricultural practices in the countryside, and portraits of the entrepreneurs, businesses and artists shaping the country's future. Since 2021, she has worked with the International Olympic Committee on the Storylines project, helping uncover the stories around design, architecture, fashion, food and travel embedded in each edition of the Games.