The final countdown has begun.
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, ITALY – FEBRUARY 6: A general view of the Olympic rings in front of the Olympia delle Tofane ski run during Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games – 1 Year To Go event on February 06, 2025 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images)
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When the Olympic flame is lit in Milan’s San Siro Stadium on February 6, 2026, it will mark not only Italy’s first Winter Games in two decades (Torino 2006), but also the start of one of the most geographically diverse and culturally layered Olympic projects ever conceived. Starting today I will be writing every week about the Games and the athletes we can expect to see in 100 days in Milano-Cortina.
A Dual Host Concept: Bridging Two Italies
View of people outside of the Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano), Milan, Italy, June 1968. (Photo by Walter Leporati/Getty Images)
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The Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics bring together the urban sophistication of Milan and the alpine majesty of Cortina d’Ampezzo, uniting modern design with mountain tradition in a way that no previous Winter Games have attempted. Milano-Cortina 2026 is the first Olympics in history hosted by two cities separated by more than 248 miles, across multiple regions and provinces — Lombardy, Veneto, Trentino, and South Tyrol.
Giuliana Gerolinetto, Maria Cristina Giaconelli, Marina Aletti and Cristina Gerolinetto bask in the sun of an open terrace at El Toula, overlooking Cortina d’Ampezzo and the Dolomites, Italy, March 1976. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Getty Images)
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This structure reflects Italy’s geographical and cultural diversity: Milan, a hub of fashion, architecture, and innovation, represents the future, while Cortina, known as the “Queen of the Dolomites,” symbolizes alpine heritage and natural beauty.
Heritage Meets Renewal
Cortina hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics — the first ever broadcast live on television. In 2026, that legacy will be renewed as historic venues like the Olympic Ice Stadium are modernized for curling and other events. The iconic slopes of Cortina, long a fixture on the women’s World Cup alpine circuit, will again host elite skiing events.
Bruno Burrini. Vii Olympic Games. Cortina. 1956. (Photo by: Touring Club Italiano/Marka/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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Milan’s contribution centers on its modern architecture and infrastructure. The Opening Ceremony will be held at San Siro, one of Europe’s most storied football stadiums, while the Closing Ceremony will take place in the ancient Verona Arena, a Roman amphitheater dating to the first century AD. No previous Winter Olympics has used venues with such historical resonance, bridging 2,000 years of human culture in a single Games.
VERONA, ITALY – AUGUST 08: A general view of the evening performance of ‘Aida’ act 2 scene 2 at the Arena on August 8, 2010 in Verona, Italy. The city of Verona is hosting the 88th Annual Opera Festival and will feature five productions directed and designed by Maestro Franco Zeffirelli. (Photo by Marco Secchi/Getty Images)
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Sustainability and Smart Legacy
The organizing committee pledged that over 90% of venues will be existing or temporary, minimizing new construction and avoiding the “white elephant” problem that has haunted past Games. New developments, such as the Santa Giulia Arena in Milan, are being built to Nearly Zero Energy Building standards, featuring solar roofs, rainwater harvesting, and low-carbon materials.
Meanwhile, the Olympic Village in Milan’s Scalo Romana district is designed for post-Games conversion into student housing and affordable apartments. Green courtyards, pedestrian paths, and community spaces will ensure its utility long after the Olympic flame is extinguished.
This photograph shows the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Village construction site, in Milan on July 31, 2025. The Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026 will take place from February 6 to 22 and the Winter Paralympic Games from March 6 to 22, 2026. (Photo by Stefano RELLANDINI / AFP) (Photo by STEFANO RELLANDINI/AFP via Getty Images)
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In Cortina and the mountain venues, emphasis is placed on upgrading existing ski infrastructure and preserving local ecosystems through limited new builds, careful waste management, and renewable-energy sourcing.
Cultural Olympiad: Sport as Art and Identity
Beyond sport, Milano-Cortina is positioning itself as a “Cultural Olympics.” Its official Cultural Olympiad program integrates art, heritage, and local creativity across Italy, turning the Games into a national celebration. The logo “Futura”, chosen through a public vote — a first in Olympic history — embodies minimalism and continuity: a translucent “26” symbolizing both the icy surfaces of sport and the forward-looking spirit of the host cities.
A picture shows the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics and Paralympics logo in Cortina d’Ampezzo, one of the host cities of Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games, on January 17, 2025. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP) (Photo by TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images)
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This cultural framing distinguishes Milano-Cortina from purely logistical or spectacle-driven Games. It situates these Olympics squarely within Italy’s artistic legacy fusing Michelangelo’s renaissance with the modernism of Milan via its’ architecture, fashion and design.
Innovation Amid Geography
The spread of venues — from Milan’s urban core to Livigno, Bormio, Val di Fiemme, and Anterselva — covers roughly 8,494 square miles, one of the largest footprints in Olympic history. Having studied many previous Olympic Games and spoken to Olympic athletes including some who competed in Paris in 2024, I believe it will have the potential to create a lot of stress for competitors and coaches worried about getting from their village to distant Olympic venues on time.
Infographic with a map of northern Italy showing the location of the sites hosting the ceremonies and competitions of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, and in the distance as the crow flies between the various locations (Graphic by Valentin RAKOVSKY and Laurence SAUBADU / AFP) (Graphic by VALENTIN RAKOVSKY,LAURENCE SAUBADU/AFP via Getty Images)
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Nonetheless, while this wide geography presents logistical challenges, it also disperses tourism and infrastructure benefits across multiple alpine communities. Regional authorities are investing in transport improvements, including upgraded rail links and green bus networks connecting venue clusters.
A Symbol of Post-Pandemic and Climate-Conscious Renewal
View of the Pomagagnon, Forcella Zumales and Hohe Gaisl (Croda Rossa d’Ampezzo), of the Dolomites, near Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy, circa 1960. (Photo by E. B. Church/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
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Emerging after the global disruptions of the early 2020s, Milano-Cortina 2026 carries a tone of renewal and resilience. It’s the first Olympics hosted within the European Union since 2012, and the first Winter Games in Western Europe in 20 years.
The event aligns with global climate goals, reflecting the International Olympic Committee’s push toward “climate-positive” Games by 2030. With the Dolomites — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — as a backdrop, the organizers aim to set a new benchmark for environmental consciousness and cultural integration.
Conclusion: An Olympic of Contrasts and Continuities
In many ways, Milano-Cortina 2026 encapsulates Italy itself — ancient and modern, mountainous and metropolitan, artistic yet athletic. It reimagines what the Winter Olympics can be: not a spectacle built from scratch, but a celebration built on heritage, sustainability, and connection.
A general view shows the San Siro Stadium ahead of the press conference for the unveiling of the Opening Ceremony of Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games 2026 in Milan, Italy on October 16, 2025. (Photo by Piero CRUCIATTI / AFP) (Photo by PIERO CRUCIATTI/AFP via Getty Images)
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If successful, these Games may redefine the model for future hosts — proving that the Olympics can honor the past, energize the present, and build responsibly for the future.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/timgenske/2025/10/29/only-100-days-until-the-milano-cortina-2026-winter-olympics/
