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IOC President Kirsty Coventry wrote that the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics will be “a new model” as she looks forward to the first Games since taking office. In an article for Olympics.com, Coventry wrote, “Milano Cortina will be the first Winter Games shaped by our Olympic Agenda reforms: the most gender-balanced in history; staged in iconic venues and breathtaking natural settings; making the most of existing facilities while spreading the Games across regions where winter sports are part of local identity. It is a new model that shows how sustainability, tradition and innovation can work hand in hand.” The Milan Cortina Games are expected to include 47 percent female athlete participation, a record high for a Winter Games. The iconic venues are bookended by the Opening Ceremony hub of the San Siro, the most famous soccer stadium in Italy, and the Closing Ceremony at the Verona Arena, a Roman amphitheater built in 30 AD. In between, medal competition will be at picturesque sites including Cortina d’Ampezzo, known as the “Queen of the Dolomites” for its beauty. The Games are spread across northern Italy, with traditional venues including Bormio (men’s Alpine skiing), Livigno (freestyle skiing and snowboarding) and Val di Fiemme (cross-country skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined). A similar model is already planned for the 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps — four clusters, including a major city in Nice. In 2026 and 2030, the Winter Olympics return to Central Europe — the region where they began in 1924 — for the first time since Italy last hosted in 2006. “Italy is famous for its natural beauty, its culture, food and fashion,” Coventry wrote. “But what makes Italy truly special is the spirit of its people — their warmth, their sense of family and community, and above all, their passion. This passion will be the heartbeat of Milano Cortina 2026. When the athletes arrive, they will feel it. When the fans gather in the venues, they will live it. And when the world is watching, this passion will shine through in everything Italy shares with us.”
