Olympic spirit front and centre as Milano Cortina 2026 approaches the mid-way point
As the Olympic Winter Games approach the mid-way point, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry gave her impressions so far of the first Games of her presidency. “The Games are going really well,” she said. “We are getting to watch some sport, which I am really excited about.”
Reflecting on the performance of the home nation’s athletes, she said “we’ve seen the Italian team do incredibly well. Seventeen medals altogether, including six gold.” Singling out two athletes for particular praise, Coventry explained, “I’ve been very fortunate to witness Federica’s [Brignone] and Arianna’s [Fontana] medals, which were just incredible. Their stories of resilience and fight, and everything good in humanity was really showcased in both athletes.”
Coventry also highlighted other athlete performances, including Japan’s first Olympic men’s gold medal in snowboard won by 21-year-old Kira Kimura, and Switzerland’s 24-year-old Franjo von Allmen becoming only the third male skier in history to win three gold medals in a single edition of the Games.
In addition to these performances, Coventry also expressed her support for skiing great Lindsey Vonn, who sadly sustained an injury in a fall, saying: “Lindsey, you know that you're one of my big inspirations and we're thinking of you in your recovery… you're an Olympian, an Olympic champion, and you will always be that.”
Asked about the spread-out nature of the Milano Cortina 2026 Games, an Olympic first, and how they were being received by athletes and spectators, President Coventry acknowledged that they were a learning experience that came with their own complexities. However, she explained that the feedback from stakeholders to date had been positive.
Talking of her own time in the mountain clusters, Coventry remarked: “What made me happy was to see the athletes and how they are really loving the venues. They are in iconic venues and fields of play that they’ve raced on before and that are extremely good.” She singled out the Organising Committee for praise for “trying to ensure that the experience for the athletes is the same everywhere.” The response from athletes has been positive, she noted, including from athletes who have participated in numerous editions of the Games.
The same was true of the fans in the mountains, said Coventry. Expressing her excitement President Coventry said, “It was so cool to see so many families and little kids. We were at some of the venues and they were sliding down the hills, with their parents running after them. You could really see the spirit of the Games… we walked through the spectators and…there were just smiles and there was a great energy.” She finished by saying, “So yes, it's a little spread out, but the feeling of the Games, for me, is really very magical.” Coventry gave a special shout-out to the volunteers saying, “they are doing an amazing job”.
Focussing once again on the athletes, Coventry reflected on countries that are being represented at the Olympic Winter Games for the first time saying: “There are a number of countries that are competing for the first time. With winter games, summer games, it's always amazing to see how many more countries are taking part in sports. … there's so many more opportunities in our world today for athletes to be able to go and to train and to learn new things. And this is what sport also allows to happen.”
With over 40 per cent of the events now completed, there remains a lot of sport and outstanding performances still to come in the second week of the Games.