Athletes enjoying unique experience and opportunities at Milano Cortina 2026
Athletes at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games have been enjoying competing in world-class venues in front of passionate crowds and stunning backdrops. And across six Olympic Villages, 2,100 Olympians are tapping into tailored services provided by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its partners, designed to help them feel at home, stay focused and perform at their peak.
Key facts
- Over 2,100 out of 2,900 athletes have already benefited from at least one of the services that the Worldwide Olympic Partners have been delivering in the Olympic Villages.
- The Athlete365 Mind Zone x Powerade has been rolled out across all six Villages following its success at Paris 2024.
- Athletes have collectively generated over 1.3 billion social media engagements to date, an average of almost half a million engagements per athlete.
- Milano Cortina 2026 Olympians have over 920 million social media followers.
Athletes driving impressive engagement
Athletes competing at Milano Cortina 2026 are using the unique window that the Games provide to connect with a global audience and earn new fans and followers, while benefiting from new opportunities to post behind-the-scenes videos from the Olympic Village.
Collectively, Milano Cortina 2026 Olympians have over 920 million social media followers, and they have generated more than 1.3 billion social media engagements since the start of the competitions, which in turn is driving strong global interest in the Games.
A unique experience
For Italian figure skater Sara Conti, a first-time Olympian who won a bronze medal in the team event, the experience has been a one-off:
I haven't had a lot of opportunities to compete in Italy, so to be able to share this moment with my family and friends was special. The public gave us energy when we were starting to feel tired. The home crowd is what helped us fully enjoy the experience of winning a medal.
“[The Olympic Games] cannot be compared with any other competition,” she continued. “These are my first Olympics, and for the first few days I felt like a child in a playground. I didn’t realise all the things you can do in the Village – there are games, you can relax, it’s so special. The Village is something unlike at any other competition, even at the highest level."
Special atmosphere and dedicated spaces to relax
Clara Rozier has also been competing at her first Olympic Winter Games as part of France’s women’s ice hockey team. She is on the French Alps 2030 Athletes’ Commission, and has been trying to take in all elements of the athlete experience at Milano Cortina 2026 so that she can help create the best conditions for Olympians in four years’ time.
“It has been an amazing experience; it is my first time at an Olympic Games”, she said. “It has been special for me to be in the Village, to meet the other athletes and be able to share things with other people. The atmosphere at the Village is really good. We have good conditions there and a lot of chilled spaces to share moments with other athletes and watch the competitions. That’s something that was really nice.”
Rozier and her team have also spent some time in the Athlete365 Mind Zone x Powerade, a relaxing space staffed by mental health professionals where athletes can practise mindfulness activities and mentally prepare for their competitions.
“I was there yesterday and it was a good place to chill and relax,” she said. “My team-mates have also been there, and there are various things to do there in calm and peace. Everyone needs different things to relax, so it was a good place to be.”
Consistent athlete experience in all six Villages
While Conti and Rozier have both been staying at the Olympic Village in Milan, every effort has been made by the IOC and its Worldwide Olympic Partners (TOPs) to deliver a consistent experience in the other Villages in Cortina, Bormio, Livigno, Predazzo and Anterselva, with the same level of services available to all athletes.
This includes an Athlete365 House in each Village, where athletes can vote in the IOC Athletes’ Commission election, learn more about programmes designed to support them, get familiar with topics such as prevention of competition manipulation and anti-doping, watch live competitions and play the educational app-based game, PinQuest.
At the venues, athletes from every sport have the opportunity to connect with family and friends back home right after their competition through the Athlete Moment, delivered by Olympic Broadcasting Services and TOP Partner TCL. And athletes competing at Milano Cortina 2026 receive a limited Olympic edition Samsung smartphone, along with an Airbnb credit of USD 500 to spend on accommodation after the Games to unwind or celebrate.
“These are some examples of the various programmes we have to enhance the athlete experience and make sure the Games are unique,” explains Kaveh Mehrabi, IOC Athletes’ Department Director and an Olympian in badminton.
“What we have done, with the IOC presence in all six Villages, is make sure that athletes have a fantastic experience and an equal opportunity to benefit from the various programmes.”