With six months to go until the Winter Olympics, Italian organisers are confident the Milan, Cortina 2026 Games will be ready on time, even after several ups and downs over the years.
Andrea Varnier, head of the organising committee, said things are moving forward as planned. The opening ceremony is set for 6 February 2026, though curling matches will begin two days earlier. The Paralympics will follow in March.
The government company in charge of building the sports venues, Simico, has promised all construction will be finished before the Games begin.
Organisers are aiming for a more affordable Olympics. Past events, like Sochi 2014, cost around €34.5 billion, while the estimated budget for Milan, Cortina is €5.2 billion, €3.5 billion on infrastructure and €1.7 billion for the event itself.
The plan relies on using existing venues to keep costs and environmental damage low. In fact, the closing ceremony will take place in Verona’s ancient Roman amphitheatre. Events will be spread across northern Italy, from the Alps to the Milan area.
Some challenges remain. Italy didn’t have a track for bobsleigh, luge, or skeleton, and while organisers considered using tracks in Austria or Switzerland, Italian politicians insisted the events stay in the country. As a result, a new track had to be rushed in Cortina, just completed in March.
Accommodation is mostly sorted. The athletes’ village in Milan is nearly ready, and will be turned into university housing after the Games. In Cortina, nearly 400 temporary units will be set up by the end of October.
One of Italy’s biggest ski stars, Federica Brignone, is recovering from a serious leg injury, and it’s unclear if she’ll be able to compete. Meanwhile, organisers recently revealed the medal designs, with a focus on durability after some of the Paris 2024 medals began to rust.
The only unknown now? Whether there’ll be enough snow. But organisers remain calm.
“We’ll be ready,” they said.
