In 100 days, northern Italy is preparing to welcome the Milan-Cortina Olympics, which will be the most geographically spread out Winter Games to date. The main hubs for the Games are Milan, the industrial center of northern Italy, and Cortina d’Ampezzo, an upscale resort nestled in the Dolomites mountain range. A substantial distance of over 400 kilometers separates these two locations, making for a full day of travel between them.
Apart from these primary clusters, athletes will also compete in three other mountain regions, with the closing ceremony scheduled to take place in Verona, the largest city in the northeastern Veneto region. The Games will largely utilize existing infrastructure, although some venues are undergoing refurbishment or being constructed from the ground up.
MILAN
San Siro Stadium: Milan’s renowned 80,000-seat San Siro stadium, home to AC Milan and Inter Milan, will host the opening ceremony. Following the Olympics, this iconic venue is slated for demolition and replacement with a new stadium owned by the city’s soccer teams.
Santagiulia Arena: The new 16,000-seat arena in Milan, serving as the primary hockey venue, faced tight timelines with a test event rescheduled to ensure completion by year-end. The facility, constructed by private investors, is on track to become Italy’s largest indoor arena.
Ice Park: While Santagiulia Arena will host the ice hockey finals, additional matches will be held at the Fiera Milano exhibition venue, which will also accommodate speed skating events. Temporary structures at the expo center will house the Ice Park, featuring the Speed Skating Stadium and the Rho Ice Hockey Arena.
Ice Skating Arena: Short track and figure skating competitions will unfold at the Forum di Milano, a multipurpose facility renovated in 2017, located on the outskirts of Milan.
CORTINA
Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre: Cortina’s Olympia delle Tofane course, known as the queen of the Dolomites, will host the women’s alpine skiing events. The slope, a regular stop on the women’s World Cup circuit, previously hosted the 2021 world championships.
Curling Olympic Stadium: Curling matches will be held at the Olympic Ice Stadium, a legacy venue from the 1956 Games in Cortina and a filming location for the James Bond film “For Your Eyes Only.”
Cortina Sliding Centre: The revamped century-old sliding center, rebuilt at a cost of 118 million euros, has impressed the International Olympic Committee, with completion slated for November.
BORMIO
The Stelvio course in Bormio will stage men’s alpine skiing and ski mountaineering events. Bormio, located about 200 km northeast of Milan, is a challenging venue according to veteran Italian skier Christof Innerhofer.
LIVIGNO
Livigno will host snowboarding and freestyle skiing events at the Livigno Snow Park and Livigno Aerials and Moguls Park, offering a total of 26 medals. The small town near the Swiss border unveiled the Aerials and Moguls Park as the first venue for the 2026 Olympics.
PREDAZZO
Predazzo, set against the Dolomites, will provide a picturesque backdrop for ski jumping events. The ski jumping facility in Predazzo offers two main ramps for international competitions and training, complemented by other athlete facilities.
TESERO
Less than 10 km from Predazzo, Tesero will be the venue for cross-country skiing events at a stadium opened in 1990.
ANTERSELVA
The biathlon competition will unfold in Anterselva, boasting a rich history with the sport and hosting World Cup races annually. The town, near the Austrian border, has a predominantly German-speaking population.
VERONA
The closing ceremony will be held at Verona Arena, a Roman amphitheater dating back almost 2,000 years, known for its grand opera performances. The UNESCO world heritage site in Verona will welcome around 15,000 spectators for the ceremony on February 22.
