IOC SELECTS MILAN-CORTINA TO HOST WINTER OLYMPIC AND PARALYMIC GAMES IN 2026

Milan-Cortina have been granted the rights to host the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

At the 134th International Olympic Committee Session in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Monday (24 June), Milan-Cortina polled the majority of votes from IOC members, finishing ahead of Stockholm-Åre.

There were two candidates that put their names forward for the Games – Stockholm–Åre, Sweden and Milan-Cortina, Italy.

This will be the third time Italy has hosted the Winter Olympic Games – Cortina d’Ampezzo 1956 and Turin in 2006.

Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) President and IOC Member John Coates says both bids embraced the principles of Olympic Agenda 2020, the New Norm, designed to create flexibility and reduce the costs of bidding for and hosting Olympic Games.

“Both presentations demonstrated each bidder well and truly embraced the IOC’s New Norm approach to make the Olympic Games more affordable, more flexible and more sustainable.

“The use of existing venues across multiple locations, and in Stockholm’s case, another country (Latvia), was promoted by both bids. Consequently, the cost of staging the Games in 2026 is projected to be 20% cheaper than the preceding Games in Beijing (2022) and PyeongChang (2018).

“Importantly, each bid involved a unified approach from all levels of government – cities, provinces and national governments, as well as the support of community and business.

“It was clear the community support and engagement in both instances was outstanding,” Mr Coates concluded.

International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Andrew Parsons said: “I would like to send my warmest congratulations to the Milan-Cortina 2026 bid committee for their success in winning the right to stage the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.

“Italy has a very rich history of staging major winter Para-sport events, having staged multiple World Championships, as well as the Torino 2006 Paralympic Winter Games.

“One of the standout features of the bid is the use of existing or temporary venues, with a strong emphasis on long-term legacy use. Throughout the process, Milan-Cortina 2026 has been in close liaison with the IPC and has done much to drive down costs in line with Olympic Agenda 2020/New Norm reforms. We look forward to working with the Organising Committee that will be established over the next seven years.”