Giovanni Malago, the head of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI), has conveyed the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) approval of the progress being made in preparation for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
“We have conducted inspections and visits to the Predazzo Olympic Village. The IOC Coordination Commission provided encouraging feedback regarding the developments,” stated Malago, with 69 weeks remaining until the commencement of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Games.
“We are now fully immersed in the Winter Olympics atmosphere. Initially, it was Paris 2024, but now it’s our turn,” he remarked at the Trento Sports Festival, as reported by the ANSA news agency.
The IOC representatives also toured the Cortina d’Ampezzo Sliding Centre, which is set to host the bobsleigh, skeleton, and luge events for Milano-Cortina 2026. This visit included technical experts, members from international federations, the Milano-Cortina Foundation, and the Milano-Cortina 2026 Infrastructure Company (Simico), tasked with supervising the construction projects.
Balich Wonder Studio has been designated to oversee the Opening Ceremony of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Games, slated for 6 February 2026 at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium in San Siro. Renowned for orchestrating various Olympic events such as Sochi 2014, the studio also crafted the Qatar 2022 World Cup Opening Ceremony.
Filmmaster is set to produce the Olympic Closing Ceremony on 22 February and the Paralympic Opening Ceremony on 6 March, both taking place at the Verona Arena. The Paralympic Closing Ceremony, planned for 15 March at the Cortina Ice Stadium, will be managed by G2 Eventi-Casta Diva Group.
The Torch Relay for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which is set to traverse Italy, will be undertaken by AlphaOmega in partnership with RNK, supporting the Milan-Cortina 2026 Foundation.
Maria Laura Iascone, Director of Ceremonies for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Foundation, states, “The concept for the ceremonies aims to create spectacular moments that showcase the history of each Milano-Cortina 2026 area, combining sports venues and Italy’s cultural heritage.”
Iascone mentioned that a unifying theme will link the various ceremonies. However, since these are the inaugural decentralised Games, the Opening Ceremony will take place at multiple venues to engage as many key participants of the Olympic and Paralympic Games as possible.
