Source Credit: Ashraq Al-Awasat
Co-hosted by Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy celebrated the one-year countdown to the 2026 Winter Olympics with activities aimed at generating excitement for the Games. The Games will take place from February 6–22, 2026, and the Paralympics will follow in March.
In a Milan event, Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), formally invited athletes to compete, saying the Games will provide "an unforgettable blend of sport and Italian flair and sophistication." Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister of Italy, met with Bach in Rome to talk about preparations.
In Milan's Piazza del Duomo4, OMEGA, the Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner, revealed a countdown clock. The clock, which is modeled after a snow globe and features the Milano Cortina 2026 logo inside a clear cube, was inspired by winter activities. In March 2025, Cortina d'Ampezzo will display a second countdown clock.
There have been difficulties with preparations, such as delays, financial issues, and snow-related anxieties. The completion of the Eugenio Monti sliding center in Cortina, which will hold bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton competitions, has drawn criticism. Additionally, organizers are striving to finish Milan's Arena Santa Giulia, which will feature ice hockey. The Games are dispersed around northern Italy, with Milan and Cortina more than 400 kilometers (250 miles) away and five more venues hosting events, creating logistical issues.
Bach said he was sure Italy would be prepared. The goal of Italy is to "put on a marvelous show for the watching world," according to Giovanni Malago, president of the country's Olympic national committee. After Turin in 2006 and Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1956, Italy will host the Winter Olympics for the third time in 2026.
