News : IOC awards Olympia 2026 to Milan – Sport

Milan becomes a stage for the XXV in 2026. Olympic Winter Games. This was decided by the session of the International Olympic Committee on Monday in Lausanne. The 82 voting IOC members voted in the majority against competitors Stockholm.

Twenty years after the Games in Turin, the sporting spectacle will not only return to Italy, but to a classic winter sports region in Europe. Most recently, Vancouver (2010), Sochi (2014) and Pyeongchang in South Korea (2018) had been hosts; in 2022 it will be Beijing.

Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini spoke of a "historic day" and a "victory for all Italians, and the Winter Games will prove to the world our excellence and capabilities," declared the leader of the right-wing Lega.

"Milan represents the best in Europe"

Milan had started with Cortina d'Ampezzo, where in 1956 the Winter Games were already held. The representatives of the candidacy were very self-confident. Milan is the best in Europe, one of the best cities in the world with tradition, fashion, beauty, good food and history, "said Giovanni Malago, President of the National Olympic Committee of Italy (CONI), without modesty. "It's not possible to get a better deal than Milan and Cortina." The deciding factor for the IOC surcharge was the 83% approval of the Italians and, after initially controversial debates, the clear support of the country's politics. "We have received no criticism from any side of the company, this is unique, certainly not only in Italy, but also for other countries in the world," said CONI boss Malago. The Swedes were split to the last in the question whether they should organize Olympia. In an IOC survey, only 55 percent had been in favor.

The candidate Milan / Cortina d'Ampezzo had already tended to get better grades for its Olympic concept in the IOC evaluation report published a month ago. The budget is around 1.4 billion euros. The games are planned from 6 to 22 February 2026, followed by the Paralympics. The opening ceremony will take place at the legendary San Siro Stadium in Milan and the closing ceremony at the Roman Amphitheater in Verona.

The indoor sports ice hockey, figure skating, short track and speed skating will be on display in Milan. In the venue Valtellina are the slopes for men's alpine skiing, freestyle skiing and snowboarding. In front of the Dolomite backdrop of Cortina, women, Bob, Toboggan Skeleton, Curling and Biathlon compete for medals in alpine skiing. The trails for nordic skiing and the jump for ski jumping will be in the Fiemme Valley.

However, transport between the events in Milan and the sports facilities in the mountains 400 kilometers away is a weak point. It is also criticized that alpine skiing for men and women should take place in separate locations, which could lead to higher costs and logistical difficulties. That a new ice channel in Cortina for around 50 million euros must be built, should not burden the Olympic budget.

Despite the support of Crown Princess Victoria and Prime Minister Stefan Löfven at the session, Stockholm did not find a majority in the IOC with Are and a sustainable Olympic plan in the country of young environmental activist Greta Thunberg. The hiccups for the financial guarantees, which Sweden's government did not want to give unconditionally to the IOC, should also have contributed to this. Löfgren's insurance came too late one day before the election, "the government is fully behind the bid".