Milan-Cortina, Malagò: “Running belly down, we ate our dowry”. The IOC (for now) rejects the attack by Austria

MILAN – A nice bolt, to defend the all-Italian 2026 Olympics. With one more defender, the IOC, ready to collaborate because the emergency has not yet started (and at that moment he will have less patience). “We had chosen a dossier of an Olympics in the territories, without many works, but we ate all the dowry” he admits Giovanni Malago, president of CONI and of the Milano-Cortina Foundation “now is the time to go fast and belly down”. Realizing the projects late, rejecting the interests of Austria ready to take over Cortina for the bobsled, skeleton and luge track.

A little over three years from the fateful 6 February 2026 on which the 2026 Winter Olympics will start, the IOC Coordination Commission has completed its first face-to-face visit to Italy. Visiting only the Lombard capital where the latest facility, the Arena Santa Giulia which will host the ice hockey competitions, should be ready at the end of 2025. Also entering San Siro, where some modifications will be needed (even to the lifts) to host dozens of heads of state. The president of the commission, the Finn Sari Essayaha former world and European race walk champion, was impressed by the good relations with the current Italian government, which through the Minister of Sport Andrea Abodi has appointed a new CEO friend of the IOC, Andrea Varnier (Malagò: “Since we got the Olympics I have met four governments in three years, this time the government is finally on board”). “These are turbulent times, it takes courage, experience, and you have them” underlined the executive director of the Olympic committee Christophe Dubi. Finally, the IOC issued a statement in which it recommended “growing the national partner programme, optimizing the budget, advancing plant preparations and strengthening the Organizing Committee team”.

Only in Milan, for now, has the International Olympic Committee arrived, waiting to move to Veneto and Trentino next year, and find what are defined as the main “criticalities” by Malagò and the men of Milan-Cortina: the Cortina, in fact, and the speed skating one in Baselga di Piné, near Trento. As fascinating as a track from the past: in fact it has no coverage, unlike the latest editions of PyeongChang, Sochi, Vancouver. And Turin, equipped with the Olympic Oval. The world federation asked to cover the track, but the Province of Trento considered the work too expensive. What will happen now? Certainly Turin has not given up on its ambitions, and is waiting in the wings for developments. As with a project that lacks a few details, Austria is working to bring the bobsled, skeleton and luge Olympics to Innsbruck given the situation in Cortina. “We talked a lot, I read that Austria would have an idea on its own initiative that could even be preparatory to an international event” concedes Malagò. “But we remain convinced as a foundation, government and region that we want to heal the wound of the Eugenio Monti track who has lived in the mountains for fifty years, and we would like him to live all year round as a tourist center also for other initiatives”. Hoping that the cost assessment does not rise again, after having reached 85 million.