How to get ready for the Games

Italian sports historian, doctorate-holder and researcher at the University of Bologna Nicola Sbetti analysed the magnitude and impact of Italy’s hosting of Olympic Games, past and present.

“For Italy, they were Games that were not problematic for Italian politics as the government and opposition worked together,” Sbetti reveals about Cortina d’Ampezzo 1956. “The organisers took significantly more care worrying about the athletes than the spectators – the goal was not to have huge crowds, but to welcome the world, the athletes, delegations and journalists as best as possible. It was to demonstrate that Italy was very efficient organising an event of this scale.”

Sbetti believes that there will once again be geo-political similarities and patriotic motivation as Italy readies to host its fourth Olympic Games. "Of course, the Italian government will take advantage, as everyone else has done in the past, using the occasion of the Olympic Games to promote the image of the country through sports and alongside the Olympic values,” he says.

Sbetti advises that, despite usual trepidation surrounding Italian organisation and reaching the finish line on time, not to worry, because ultimately it will all be ‘La Dolce Vita’: “There is this kind of tradition with some delays when Italy organises mega-events, but in the end everything is always solved and the event is always safe,” Sbetti surmises. “Unfortunately, we will see this in this period, but I am quite optimistic that there will be no significant problems in the end.”

Optimism is high that Cortina d’Ampezzo can return to its glory days of years past, as was depicted in the sun-splashed and snowy scenes of the 1981 James Bond classic, For Your Eyes Only. An encore of the Olympic Winter Games in the “Queen of the Dolomites” has initiated numerous skiing and on-mountain, infrastructure, road and touristic improvements.

Eleven hotels are under reconstruction, while seven more are being renovated. One new hotel is being constructed, while another is being entirely rebuilt. Many restaurants and shops are being partially or completely refurbished. Four car parks are being renovated.

The road to access Cortina – via Belluno at the end of highway A27 from Venice – is being improved and widened at various sections. Additional downtown Cortina improvement projects will put a shiny touch on the fashionable ski resort and its elegant ‘Corso Italia’ pedestrian street.

Italian organisers are benefiting from extensive sporting experience and knowledge. International sporting competitions have been held regularly in the region ever since the 1956 Winter Olympics paved the way.

Over more recent years, Cortina d’Ampezzo has hosted the 2010 World Men’s Curling Championships and 2021 Alpine World Ski Championships, Trentino held the 2013 Winter Universiade, and Val di Fiemme has been home to the Nordic World Ski Championships three times, lastly in 2013. Anterselva/Antholz has staged the Biathlon World Championships six times, as recently as 2020.

Milan and Cortina are located 416km apart, an approximate 4.5-hour drive. The men’s and women’s Alpine ski events will be contested more than 250km apart – the men on the daunting Stelvio piste in Bormio and the women on the historic Olympia delle Tofane track in Cortina. Italian fan favourites Sofia Goggia and Federica Brignone should flourish with a home snow and crowd advantage.

Bobsleigh events at Cortina’s century-old sliding track have been held since the 1920s. The venue was home to Olympic competition in 1956 and nine world championships between 1937 and 1989. It has been closed since 2008.

Overcoming delays and uncertainty, the rebuilding of the ‘Eugenio Monti’ Bobsleigh and Luge Sliding Centre is now under way, with the aim of being ready for pre-certification in March 2025. The 1,650m, 16-curve track will once again be equipped to host the world’s best sliding athletes.

“The decision, taken by the Italian government, to rebuild the Sliding Centre in Cortina represents a confirmation of the original master plan,” Varnier notes. “We are aware of the challenging timeline, which is constantly monitored by the OCOG (Organising Committee), the IOC and the International Federations.”

The International Broadcast Centre and Main Press Centre will become a second home for journalists at the Milan Congress Centre. Development of the main Olympic Village in Milan is an ongoing project leveraging the 2026 Games to create a sustainable and green community in the city’s Porta Romana district, a former railway yard.

“The Olympic Village, where the works are proceeding ahead of schedule, is a good example of reverse engineering,” Varnier says. “The venue, which will host 1,500 athletes and officials, has actually been thought of as a students’ residence since the beginning. Immediately after the Games, the Village will become the biggest dorm in Italy, offering university students an inclusive and innovative housing solution.”

An additional temporary Olympic Village will be constructed in Fiames, 5km outside of Cortina.