Winter Olympics Countdown: Milan Cortina 2026 Preparations

Khoshnaw Rahmani, Jadetimes Staff

K. Rahmani is a Jadetimes news reporter covering sport.

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Image Source: Claudia Greco

The Milan‑Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, scheduled from 6 to 22 February 2026, are now in their final preparatory phase. Co‑hosted across Lombardy and Veneto, the bid combines metropolitan Milan’s organisational and broadcast strengths with Cortina d’Ampezzo’s alpine heritage. The organisers have framed the Games around a compact, sustainable model that prioritises reuse of existing venues and temporary overlay rather than large new build, while confronting the logistical complexity of a dispersed host region. This article provides an exhaustive, expert‑level briefing: a news update on readiness; a detailed venue and operations assessment; test event and rehearsal reporting; transport, accommodation and security planning; sustainability and legacy strategy; athlete experience and sport‑delivery details; risk analysis and contingency frameworks; a full timeline of milestones; comparative context with recent Winter Games; governance and economic considerations; and an annotated recommendations section for stakeholders. The text is written to be authoritative, richly detailed, and accessible to journalists, practitioners, policy makers and informed sports audiences.

Executive overview and current status

Milan‑Cortina 2026 presents a hybrid delivery model that marries an international city’s capacity to host mass ceremonies and broadcast operations with a classic alpine resort’s competition venues. The Games programme includes 116 medal events across traditional winter disciplines plus newly recognised sports and formats introduced to reflect evolving winter sport practice. The principal organising argument remains that using existing facilities, upgrading where necessary, and deploying temporary structures reduces carbon impact and long‑term financial liabilities. As of late 2025, major permanent venue upgrades are largely complete and test events are underway in several clusters. Remaining works focus on temporary overlays, spectator circulation, broadcast rigging, accreditation flows and the final commissioning of timing and results systems. Transport timetables and rail capacity upgrades are being finalised for peak competition windows, while accommodation plans in alpine towns are leaning on negotiated block bookings and temporary athlete village solutions. Organisers continue to highlight the quality of the competition infrastructure while acknowledging tight margins on mountain weather windows, last‑mile access improvements and an elevated need for contingency capacity.

Key readiness notes:

• Major permanent venue upgrades are largely complete and test events are underway in several clusters.

• Remaining works focus on temporary overlays, spectator circulation, broadcast rigging, accreditation flows and the final commissioning of timing and results systems.

• Transport timetables and rail capacity upgrades are being finalised for peak competition windows, while accommodation plans in alpine towns are leaning on negotiated block bookings and temporary athlete village solutions.

Why Milan‑Cortina matters: concept and strategic objectives

Milan‑Cortina is positioned as a blueprint for climate‑aware Winter Games hosting. The strategic objectives emphasise a compact footprint in urban terms, minimised permanent venue construction, strong legacy commitments tied to regional sport development and tourism management, and a sustainability framework that seeks to protect the Dolomites cultural landscape. The duality of city and mountain cluster is intended to maximise spectator reach, commercial potential and legacy utility, with Milan serving as the global media hub and Cortina providing the sporting authenticity and dramatic alpine stage. The Games organisers have also sought to weave cultural programming with sporting spectacle, using ceremony and festivalisation to showcase Italian design, cuisine and alpine heritage.

Venue portfolio, technical readiness and legacy planning

Milan cluster: Milan hosts the opening and closing ceremonies, core ice sports and the international broadcast hub. The Giuseppe Meazza Stadium (San Siro precinct) is the anchor for the opening ceremony following targeted access and broadcast interface upgrades and temporary ceremony overlay installations. Indoor arenas in Milan and satellite towns have been completed or refurbished to host figure skating, short‑track, bobsleigh practice facilities and ice hockey, with PalaItalia emerging as a primary multi‑purpose venue. The media and broadcast centre is concentrated in Milan to leverage fibre and satellite infrastructure, consolidated reporter zones and production zones for rights‑holding broadcasters.

Cortina and mountain cluster: Cortina d’Ampezzo and surrounding mountain venues host alpine skiing, sliding sports and select freestyle events. The Eugenio Monti Sliding Centre has undergone major refurbishment works and graduated athlete trials have validated track modifications and timing systems, albeit with iterative adjustments. Alpine downhill, super‑G and technical courses on Cortina slopes have been prepared with snow‑management strategies, protective nets and spectator terraces designed for temporary removal post‑Games. Livigno and other high‑altitude venues accommodate snowboard and freestyle events with temporary spectator platforms and lift access reinforced.

Readiness and legacy: Permanent upgrades prioritise accessibility and post‑Games community use. Several arenas will transfer to municipal or federative management with programming commitments to youth sport and public access. Legacy transport investments, particularly rail and regional connections, are designed to offer lasting benefits for mobility and tourism. Temporary overlay across mountain sites is planned to be dismantled after the Games to reduce long‑term maintenance costs and avoid stranded assets.

Test events, operational rehearsals and systems validation

Test events have been staged across the programme to stress operational systems, volunteer workflows, accreditation, medical response, anti‑doping procedures, broadcast circuits and competition technology. Sliding sports completed early test runs to calibrate ice profiles and athlete safety measures. Ice sport arenas in Milan hosted international competitions and domestic championships to rehearse high‑turnover schedules, spectator ingress and broadcast integration. The organisers have scheduled integrated dress rehearsals that bring security, transport, medical and accreditation streams together in full scenarios; these large‑scale rehearsals are critical for validating interagency coordination and for refining last‑minute timing and personnel briefings. Results from test events point to solid venue operations overall, though staff capacity, volunteer onboarding and emergency medical response times remain focus areas for incremental improvement.

Test event highlights:

• Sliding sports completed early test runs to calibrate ice profiles and athlete safety measures.

• Ice sport arenas in Milan hosted international competitions and domestic championships to rehearse high‑turnover schedules, spectator ingress and broadcast integration.

• Integrated dress rehearsals bring security, transport, medical and accreditation streams together in full scenarios to validate interagency coordination.

Transport, mobility and access: detailed arrangements and bottlenecks

Transport strategy for Milan‑Cortina relies on a multi‑modal backbone integrating high‑speed rail, regional rail densification, targeted road upgrades, and event‑specific shuttle corridors. The high‑speed rail network between Milan and Verona/Brescia hubs is instrumental to moving spectators and media toward mountain transfer points. Regional festival planners have coordinated timetable densification and reserved rolling stock for peak event days. Road improvements include priority lanes for Games traffic and shuttle services from rail hubs to venue access points. Mountain road capacity is a central vulnerability due to winter weather and constrained geometries; organisers have designed dedicated shuttle corridors, reinforced snow‑clearing contracts and parking management strategies to reduce on‑demand car traffic in alpine valleys. Within Milan, micro‑mobility, pedestrianisation of fan zones and integrated wayfinding are expected to reduce local congestion and create festivalised spectator experiences.

Accommodation: Milan offers a robust hotel and hospitality inventory; the mountain clusters, particularly Cortina and Livigno, face constrained capacity. Mitigation strategies encompass negotiated athlete and delegation village beds, partner town allocations, temporary modular accommodation close to venues and coordinated booking platforms to smooth demand peaks. Organisers must balance athlete proximity with event scheduling demands while protecting local tourism markets in peak and shoulder seasons.

Broadcast, technology and competition systems

Milan hosts the International Broadcast Centre, which centralises signal distribution, rights‑holder operations and production facilities. Broadcast resilience is a priority with multi‑layered redundancy across fibre, satellite and edge cloud distribution. Competition timing and results integration requires precision linkage between federation timing systems, broadcast graphics and public scoreboard distribution. Cyber‑resilience measures and redundant networks have been tested during dress rehearsals; however, protecting live feeds from interruptive faults remains an ongoing technical imperative. Accreditation platforms have migrated to digital identity and biometrics in many areas to streamline access while preserving security screening stages.

Security, health, and geopolitical considerations

Security planning operates at national, regional and municipal levels with layered venue screening, crowd management, intelligence coordination and protective security for high‑profile persons. Medical readiness emphasises trauma and cold‑injury response, heat‑exposure protocols for indoor venues, and anti‑doping facilities consistent with World Anti‑Doping Agency standards. Pandemic and public‑health contingencies remain in institutional planning, with scalable isolation and treatment capacity, though the precise posture follows current public‑health guidance. Geopolitical questions—eligibility and neutral athlete status in response to country‑level sanctions—remain salient; organisers and the IOC must coordinate closely with federations and judicial bodies such as the Court of Arbitration for Sport to manage entry permissions and diplomatic ramifications. Proactive diplomatic engagement and clear communication channels reduce the risk of late eligibility disruptions.

Athlete experience and sport delivery

Organisers continue to prioritise athlete‑centred delivery with high‑quality warm‑up and training facilities, efficient accreditation and transport corridors, nutrition and recovery services tailored to winter sport demands, and athlete village design prioritising rest and social spaces. Scheduling efforts accommodate travel time between dispersed venues while preserving competition fairness and recovery windows. Mixed‑zone media protocols are being finalised to balance athlete privacy and media obligations. Federations have been actively consulted during final schedule calibrations to minimise clashes and to ensure training access before and during the Games.

Sustainability strategy and environmental safeguards

Milan‑Cortina’s sustainability strategy foregrounds minimal new permanent construction and significant use of temporary and modular infrastructure. Carbon mitigation targets emphasise public‑transport reliance, low‑emission logistics for equipment and production, and offset frameworks for unavoidable emissions. Environmental safeguards are focused on protecting Dolomites UNESCO sites and on responsible water use for snowmaking, with biodiversity mitigation measures embedded into temporary venue construction. Independent audits and third‑party monitoring are planned to verify compliance with sustainability commitments and to hold organisers accountable for post‑Games legacy outcomes. The true test of sustainability will be the durability of legacy programming, the re‑use of upgraded facilities by communities, and the long‑term management of increased tourism pressure in fragile mountain environments.

Economic impact, funding model and governance

The investment envelope for Milan‑Cortina blends public and private funding for venue upgrades, transport projects, ceremonies and operational costs. Revenue projections rest on broadcast rights, sponsorship income, ticketing receipts and incremental tourism spend. Governance is structured through the Local Organising Committee, national ministries, regional authorities and the IOC, with an emphasis on transparent reporting and external audits to ensure fiscal accountability. Long‑term economic returns rely on effective legacy activation, prudent maintenance plans and targeted tourism strategies that avoid overtourism while maximizing community benefit.

Comparative context: how Milan‑Cortina compares with recent Winter Games

Compared with recent Winter Games, Milan‑Cortina emphasises a compact‑city model that reduces the need for new venues while accepting the logistical complexity of a dispersed host footprint. The model is comparable to hybrid approaches seen in Lillehammer and PyeongChang, but Milan’s strong urban broadcast infrastructure and fashion/cultural brand give it a distinctive commercial profile. Sustainability ambitions mirror trends from Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 that prioritized reuse and temporary overlay. Operational complexity resembles PyeongChang’s management of mountain‑to‑city transfers, with lessons learned on rail contingency, athlete transit times and broadcast scheduling. Milan‑Cortina’s success will be judged by its delivery of on‑time venue readiness, transport reliability, weather‑resilient scheduling and legacy activation that preserves alpine environments.

Risk assessment, contingency planning and mitigation

Weather remains the most significant risk to alpine schedules; organisers maintain reserve days, flexible start windows and enhanced snow‑management systems where ecologically appropriate. Transport bottlenecks during peak periods are mitigated through dedicated Games lanes, increased rolling stock allocation and dynamic shuttle deployment. Accommodation shortfalls in mountain towns are addressed through temporary village solutions and partner‑town distribution to reduce pressure on host communities. Technical failures in timing, broadcast or accreditation systems are managed with redundant systems, live fallbacks and rapid incident response teams. Security threats demand continuous intelligence sharing and adaptive crowd management, while geopolitical and eligibility disputes require robust legal and diplomatic contingency channels. These mitigation strategies are actively rehearsed during integrated tests to refine response protocols.

Timeline of key milestones and preparatory phases

Date	Milestone
2019	Milano‑Cortina awarded the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
2021	Formal masterplans finalised, initial procurement processes launched and early venue designs approved.
2022	Strategic transport investments secured; initial legacy frameworks established with regional governments.
2023	Major construction and refurbishment contracts mobilised; PalaItalia and sliding centre upgrades contracted.
2024	Early test events begin across alpine and sliding venues; broadcast and timing systems undergo first integrated trials.
2024–2025	Progressive test events and international competitions used as rehearsal environments; volunteer recruitment and training accelerated.
Winter 2024–2025	Sliding and alpine test runs validate athlete safety systems; ice arena test competitions assess spectator flows and broadcast feeds.
Late 2025	Integrated operational rehearsals; accreditation rollouts and broadcast dress rehearsals; final works on temporary overlays.
December 2025	National torch relay commences across Italy; surge in media and public engagement.
January 2026	Final commissioning of venues, logistical systems and athlete arrival rehearsals; emergency protocols finalised.
February 6–22, 2026	Olympic Games period.
March 2026	Transition to Paralympic Games and handover of legacy responsibilities.

Governance, transparency and stakeholder relations

The Local Organising Committee coordinates with regional authorities, national ministries, IOC, international federations and rights‑holding broadcasters. Transparent financial reporting and external audit mechanisms are crucial to maintain public confidence, particularly in the wake of public scrutiny around Games costs in other host cities. Community engagement programmes, formal legacy commitments and active management of local stakeholder expectations are central to maintaining social licence. The organising committee has created advisory groups that include local government representatives, environmental NGOs, transport agencies and sport federations to manage interdependent risks and to align decisions with legacy goals.

Recommendations and expert considerations

To maximise the probability of operational success and positive legacy outcomes, the organising team should ensure that reserve scheduling and weather contingency plans remain conservative, that transport capacity is stress‑tested with full‑load simulations, and that mountain accommodation solutions are finalised and contracted with clear consumer protections for local residents. Independent monitoring of sustainability commitments and post‑Games audits should be contracted to reputable third parties and publicly reported. Security, health and eligibility protocols must remain adaptive to geopolitical developments with clear legal channels for dispute resolution. A deliberate communications strategy that balances transparency about risks with confidence in preparations will help manage spectator and media expectations.

Suggested immediate actions:

• Stress‑test transport capacity with full‑load simulations and contingency shuttle deployments.

• Finalise and contract mountain accommodation solutions with consumer protections for local residents.

• Contract independent third parties for sustainability monitoring and post‑Games audits and publish findings.

Frequently asked questions

Will the Games be fully broadcast worldwide? The International Broadcast Centre in Milan is configured to provide multi‑platform transmission with redundant distribution channels to rights‑holding broadcasters, ensuring global coverage. How will mountain weather affect the schedule? Alpine events incorporate reserve days, flexible start times and snow‑management provisions, but extreme weather can still force postponements. Are sustainability goals realistic? The emphasis on existing venues, temporary overlays and transport investments provides a credible framework, but independent verification and long‑term legacy governance are required to convert promises into durable outcomes. How will geopolitical eligibility issues be managed? The organisers and IOC will work closely with federations and adjudicative bodies; pre‑Games legal clarity and contingency planning are critical.

Milan‑Cortina 2026 is a model of contemporary Winter Games ambition: compact where possible, alpine‑authentic where necessary, and sustainability‑oriented by design. The next months will test the organisers’ operational discipline across transport orchestration, weather contingency, broadcast resilience and community stewardship. If executed well, Milan‑Cortina can provide a replicable approach to climate‑aware Winter Games hosting that leaves tangible sporting and mobility legacies for northern Italy. If execution slips in critical transport or weather‑sensitive systems, the Games will provide a cautionary case about the complexity of dispersed host regions for winter sport. Either outcome will deliver important lessons for future candidates and international federations planning major winter events.