2026 Winter Olympics: Milan and Cortina won, Games assigned to Italy

The 2026 Winter Olympics Games will take place in Italy. The announcement was made in Lausanne by IOC president Thomas Bach – 47 votes against Sweden’s 34.

IOC president Thomas Bach explained that: “over 80% of popular consensus compared to 55% in Sweden” has affected Milan-Cortina victory.
“It’s a great day for the Olympic movement and winter sports. It has won a country with a great experience, tradition and passion. It is the victory of the Italian sports system, which has always supported the Olympic movement with big enthusiasm”.

Italy will return to host the Winter Games for the third time, twenty years after Turin 20006 and 70 years after the Cortina 1956 edition. Sport events will be distributed in Lombardia, Veneto and the autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano. The reason for the propensity towards the Italian candidacy versus the Swedish one is that it will be necessary to build only a new construction. (Italy will count on 93% of existing structures).

The various Olympic Games competitions will be held between 6thand 22ndof February 2026. The main Olympic Village is going to born in Milan, Porta Romana district and in Rogoredo, in the Santa Giulia district and the new Palaitali is going to be set up for figure skating and short track, probably in tandem with Assago Forum. The hockey challenges will take place in the renovated PalaSharp of Lampugnano. The opening ceremony is scheduled for San Siro Stadium.
Bormio will host the men’s alpine skiing and bobsleigh, skeleton and curling comnpetitions.
Trentino will host the speed skating, cross country skiing and cross country skiing races and Alto Adige will arrange the biathlon competitions.