For the primary time in historical past, the Olympics are formally being hosted by two cities. The upcoming 2026 Winter Video games will happen in each Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, from Friday, Feb. 6-Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.
In simply days, viewers all over the world will see winter sports activities icons like Lindsey Vonn, Chloe Kim and Sidney Crosby exhibit their abilities. The 116 medal occasions within the two Italian cities will embrace snowboarding, snowboarding, determine skating, bobsledding, ski leaping, hockey and curling.
Whereas earlier Video games—each summer time and winter—have all the time taken a one-city strategy, the organizers determined to attempt one thing new by spreading issues out. Nevertheless, Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry has admitted it’s unclear how the daring Italian experiment will work out!
Learn on to seek out out extra on why the Winter Olympics are being held in two cities, how the video games will look and what the challenges have been.
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How did Milan and Cortina each get the Winter Video games?
The 2 northern Italian cities made a joint bid and had been awarded the Olympics by the IOC on June 24, 2019, beating out one other joint bid made by Stockholm and Åre, Sweden.
Metropolitan Milan, Italy’s second largest metropolis—famed as one of many world’s style capitals—will principally host indoor ice occasions equivalent to determine skating and hockey, whereas mountainous Cortina welcomes snow and sliding sports activities like Alpine snowboarding. The gorgeous resort city of Cortina beforehand hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics. Italy final hosted the Winter Video games in 2006 in Torino. 2026 marks the milestone twenty fifth Winter Olympics.
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Whereas sports activities followers are trying ahead to the occasions, it stays to be seen if the distinctive metropolis and mountain city mix will gel!
Why is it known as Milano Cortina?
That’s as a result of the 2026 Winter Olympics will name each Milano and Cortina house. It’s the primary time in Olympic historical past that two cities formally are assuming host duties. The 2026 Video games are formally often known as Milano Cortina, utilizing the Italian spelling for Milan. Nevertheless, the English spelling of Milan will principally be utilized in NBC’s American broadcast of the Olympics as Milan Cortina. Whereas the complete title of the city of Cortina is Cortina d’Ampezzo, it’s typically abbreviated to simply Cortina—and its shortened title for the Olympics clearly permits for simpler worldwide advertising and marketing.
Why had been two host cities chosen?
It’s cheaper and extra eco-friendly. The IOC is working in the direction of sustainability and determined to unfold out the Video games’ footprint in Italy by utilizing principally pre-existing venues. It places much less of a monetary burden on the hosts.
Andrea Varnier—CEO of the Milan-Cortina organizing committee—advised NBC Information that 11 of the 13 venues getting used for competitors are both non permanent or current buildings that obtained a facelift. Solely two new competitors venues needed to be constructed and Italy plans to make use of them after the Olympics.
What’s the largest downside of working a two-city Olympics?
It’s an enormous logistical problem. Milan and Cortina are separated by greater than 250 miles—which is a few five-hour drive!
Varnier admitted it’s “a really fascinating experiment that we’re doing.”
For instance, Varnier advised NBC Information that on the opening ceremony, there might be a simultaneous cauldron lighting many miles aside: One cauldron might be lit in Milan’s Arco della Tempo, whereas the opposite might be in Cortina’s Piazza Angelo Dibona. The opening ceremony may even function a number of parades in order that the entire athletes can benefit from the enjoyable, no matter which metropolis they’re based mostly in.
What has the IOC President mentioned concerning the state of affairs?
IOC President Kirsty Coventry famous, “I do consider that we took the suitable resolution in having a extra dispersed Video games, but it surely has—and I believe we are able to all say very brazenly and truthfully— added further complexities.”
She defined, “I believe initially all of us thought, ‘Oh properly, we’ll simply have or not it’s a bit bit extra dispersed as a result of that’s extra sustainable.’ Sure, that could be very true, but it surely has added further complexities within the supply of the Video games.”
That features the Olympics’ broadcasting groups having to be unfold out and never having the ability to multitask.
Though Milan-Cortina organizers have labored laborious for cohesion, it’s additionally honest to surprise if athlete camaraderie could possibly be undermined by the two-city plan.
Did Milan endure a scandal earlier than the 2026 Winter Olympics?
Sure. In line with AP Information, as of July 2025, the Milan Prosecutor’s Workplace was investigating alleged corruption in public works tenders, together with the Olympic Village which is able to host athletes and officers.
It’s been reported that authorities are trying into potential offenses involving corruption, forgery and abuse of public workplace, with 74 people below scrutiny—together with Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala who’s accused of hiding a battle of curiosity.
Nevertheless, Mayor Sala refused to resign and denied wrongdoing, saying, “My arms are clear.” Sala has been closely concerned within the Winter Olympics and can attend the opening ceremony.
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What setbacks has Cortina gone by way of?
Cortina Mayor Gianluca Lorenzi just lately spoke with The Athletic concerning the issues and pressures of co-hosting the Video games, stating that the town has confronted “very difficult” logistics.
Town was shaken in January when Pietro Zantonini—a safety guard at a development website close to an Olympic venue in Cortina—died throughout a freezing in a single day shift. Andrea Varnier—CEO of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Basis—addressed the tragedy, clarifying that the particular website was not overseen by Simico (the governmental infrastructure firm) however was below the Basis’s administration. “The data now we have is that it was a loss of life by pure trigger, it was a coronary heart assault,” he mentioned, earlier than confirming that an investigation was underway.
Lorenzi—a former curling athlete—shared his condolences. “I sympathize with the household relating to their loss, as a result of it’s actually a tragedy,” he mentioned.
Mayor Lorenzi additionally revealed that he has obtained loss of life threats over the controversial development of the sliding monitor that may host the Olympic bobsled, luge and skeleton competitions. “It was in no way nice,” he advised The Athletic. “Sadly, we then needed to put safety measures in place at my house and for my household … however in fact, a loss of life risk doesn’t make me again down from my ideas and thought of shifting ahead.”
Lorenzi insisted that the monitor undertaking might be invaluable to the town of Cortina.
Will the Olympics ever be hosted by two cities once more?
The IOC plans to see how the brand new format pans out and can consider the mannequin after the Winter Olympics conclude, President Coventry has indicated.
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