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“Italy is ready,” Thomas Bach, the President of the International Olympic Committee declared at the Strehler Theatre in Milan on Thursday morning, in a special ceremony which marked one year to go until the Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games 2026.
In exactly one year from today, the iconic San Siro stadium in Milan will stage the Opening Ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, with organisers promising a never-before-seen event that will set the scene for the “widespread Games”. More than 3,500 athletes from over 90 countries will compete in Italy, vying for 195 medals in 16 Olympic disciplines from 6-22 February, and six sports at the Paralympic Winter Games from 6-15 March.
OFFICIAL INVITATION During the most symbolic moment of the ceremony at the theatre, the IOC officially invited the National Olympic Committees to participate in the upcoming Olympic Winter Games, with Bach signing and presenting invitations to the representatives of six NOCs; Greece, as the birthplace of the Olympic Games, and of the host countries of recent and upcoming Olympic Games; China (Beijing 2022), France (Paris 2024, French Alps 2030), USA (Los Angeles 2024, Salt Lake City-Utah 2034), Australia (Brisbane 2032) and Italy (Milano Cortina 2026). From the IOC Headquarters in Lausanne, invitations have been sent to the NOCs that participate in winter sports.
READY TO WELCOME THE WORLD “Italy is ready to write the next chapter in its Olympic history. I would like to invite athletes from around the world to Italy to celebrate the Winter Olympic Games,” said Bach.
“We all expect an Olympics that will be characterised by Italy's passion for sport and will highlight Italy's unique culture and heritage. The Games will be held in iconic locations with a rich winter sports tradition. From the natural beauty of the Dolomites and the Alps to the cosmopolitan energy of Milan, the Games will offer an incredible mix of sport, charm and Italian sophistication,” he added.
SET TO LEAVE A LEGACY Also gracing the stage of the elegant Strehler Theatre were Italy’s Vice-President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini, Minister for Sport and Youth Andrea Abodi, President of CONI and Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation, Giovanni Malag? as well as the Presidents and Mayors of the host regions and cities of next year’s Winter Games.
The Mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Cortina d'Ampezzo Gianluca Lorenzi, President of Lombardy Region Attilio Fontana, President of Veneto Region Luca Zaia, President of the Bolzano Province Arno Kompatscher and President of Trento Province Maurizio Fugatti all expressed confidence that the Games would leave a lasting legacy in their respective communities and Italy as a whole.
CORTINA SLIDING CENTRE The Mayor of Cortina d'Ampezzo Lorenzi has assured that the Cortina sliding centre, which will host the bobsleigh, luge and skeleton competitions at Milano Cortina 2026, will be ready for testing next month.
PROUD TO BE ITALIAN President of CONI and Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation, Malag? said: “Our goal is for Italy to emerge from these Games in a wonderful way in the eyes of the world and, when the last light goes out from the event, we will be sure that everyone will be very proud to be Italian.”He added that there are still challenges to overcome ahead of the Games but “we know we can win.”
The Minister for Sport and Youth, Abodi, said: “There are 365 days left, which will pass quickly: we still have many things to do, the fundamental thing is to do them together and face the happy days and also the more complicated ones together, but we are ready and we know the path.”
COUNTDOWN CLOCK At the Piazzetta Reale near the Duomo of Milan, Omega, a worldwide Olympic partner, has unveiled its Countdown Clock which is tracking the hours, minutes, and seconds until the Opening Ceremony on 6 February 2026. Arena di Verona, a Roman amphitheatre dating back 2,000 years will host the Closing Ceremony on 22 February 2026. The Countdown Clock is inspired by the beauty and magic of winter sport and for the first time ever, there are two official clocks for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. A second clock will be unveiled in Cortina d’Ampezzo in March 2025, also measuring the time to go until the Opening Ceremony.
SPORTS VILLAGE The Milano Cortina 2026 Sports Village has been set up at the Piazza del Duomo in the heart of Milan. It is an immersive and interactive area where tourists and citizens can explore Olympic disciplines, discover the locations of the Games and experience the innovation that connects athletes and fans for four weeks from 7 February to 6 March 2025.
TICKETING Today marked the launch of priority ticket sales for the Winter Olympics. The over 350,000 people who registered on the official platform of Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 by mid-January will each receive a dedicated time slot to purchase tickets. Those who did not register will have to wait until April 2025 when the second phase of ticketing sales for the Olympics will open. Sales for the Paralympics will open in March 2025.
WINTER GAMES WEEK Since Monday, 3 February the Milano Cortina 2026 organisers, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Merit, the Italian National Olympic Committee and the Italian Paralympic Committee, have been instilling the principles of sport as well as Olympic and Paralympic values into students across the country through interactive activities. This is the second edition of the Winter Games Week, which is part of Milano Cortina 2026’s wider “Gen26” education programme, and will end on Friday, 7 February.
NATIONWIDE CELEBRATION There are other celebratory events across the nation commemorating this milestone.
Cortina d’Ampezzo: At the Piazza Roma in Cortina d’Ampezzo, host of the 1956 Olympic Winter Games and the breathtaking Queen of the Dolomites, celebration starts at 6:00 pm today. The legendary Tofane Olympia slope in Cortina, which hosted the men's Alpine skiing race in 1956 will host women’s Alpine skiing in 2026, while the Olympic Ice Stadium in Cortina, which in 1956 hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, as well as men's ice hockey and figure skating competitions, will be the home of curling next year.
Lombardy Region: In the Lombardy region, Milan's largest indoor skating rink in Piazza Citt? di Lombardia will host a synchronized skating show starting at 5:00 p.m, with the public able to skate for free until 8:00 p.m. The special guests will include Tina and Milo, the mascots of the 2026 Games.
Livigno: In the heart of Livigno, which will stage freestyle skiing and snowboarding competitions, a theatre show, ‘Circles, the journey of the Games’ was designed to kick off the countdown and celebrate the Olympic spirit. Since yesterday 5 February, in the fairytale setting of the Alpine Sky Theatre, Katakl? Athletic Dance Theatre has been taking spectators on a journey through time and sharing the magic of the Five Rings. The show is free – but registration is required – and will run until 8 February.
Trento: A special exhibition called Performance was launched today in Trento. Set up at Le Gallerie di Trento, the exhibition is curated by Fondazione Museo Storico del Trentino and the Autonomous Province of Trento, with the prestigious cultural partnership of the Olympic Museum of Lausanne, and Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026. The event is part of the Milano Cortina 2026 Cultural Olympiad - the multidisciplinary programme that is promoting Olympic and Paralympic values through culture, heritage and sport. Performance is part of a three-year exhibition project “Anelli di Congiunzione” – it follows Records (2024) and precedes Competitions (2026). Performance takes visitors on a fascinating journey of how technological innovation is transforming the world of sport and helping athletes to constantly improve their records.
Bormio: In Bormio, an extraordinary event will see school children and young people recreate iconic images of the Olympics against the backdrop of the location that will host Alpine skiing and ski mountaineering at Milano Cortina 2026. The flash mob video was launched today on Bormio's official channels. Tomorrow, 7 February at Piazza del Kuerc the long-awaited Five Olympic Rings will be unveiled with the participation of school children. There will be music and entertainment.
MILAN CENTRAL STATION The Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group, Mobility Premium Partner of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, will celebrate “One Year to Go” by lighting up the façade of Milan Central Station with the colours of the Italian flag at 6 pm today. The projection will be broadcast on loop from 6 pm to midnight, from 6 to 8 February 2025.
Chibuogwu Nnadiegbulam - AIPS Media Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images
