"VAN" (Sports Desk - 29.10.2025) :: The final phase of preparations for Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games has been pretty intense, according to the Anna Riccardi, Sport Director of the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation, who delivered a presentation, alongside Chief Games Operations Officer Andrea Francisi, at the IF Forum in Lausanne on Tuesday.
“It's quite hectic,” Riccardi told AIPS. “I have to be honest and sincere, of course. So, you know, you feel the pressure coming. The Games are coming. We have a lot of test events still to be staged at our new venues. So it's very busy. If I have to say something that really, really means everything is: busy period, little sleep and a lot of commitment towards having everything going smoothly.”
100 DAYS TO GO Wednesday, October 29 marks 100 days until the opening ceremony which will take place at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium (San Siro) on February 6. On Wednesday, November 26, the Olympic flame for the Games will be lit in Ancient Olympia, Greece, and then handed over to a delegation from the Milano Cortina 2026 Organising Committee on December 4, ahead of the Olympic torch relay that officially begins in Rome two days later.
TEST EVENTS But beyond the aforementioned key dates is an intensive schedule of test events. Riccardi was delighted to highlight that Monday, October 27 marked the start of the first International Training Period (ITP) on the new Olympic track “Pista Olympica Eugenio Monti” in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
“Every day we are working hard to address the unique challenges of these Games,” Francisi said, as he explained the master plan of Milano Cortina 2026, which spread events across existing sites, minimised new construction, maximised Italy’s expertise in hosting world-class competitions, and is set to leave lasting legacies.
WIDESPREAD Covering 22,000 square kilometres, Milano Cortina 2026 will be the most geographically widespread Games in history. “I look forward to showing the world that the Games can also be done in this way, especially for the Winter Games,” said Riccardi. “It's difficult to have enough budget to build everything that you need in one or two locations, as it has been the case beforehand. Now you have to exploit what you have and make use of it in the most rational way, I would say. Considering how difficult it is with the weather conditions, the warming up of the world, snow production, you have to really make use of what you have available, not only from the point of view of the venue itself, which is an added value, but also from the point of view of the experience of the people who normally organize them. So instead of bringing the venue to the athletes, we bring the athletes to the excellence of the venues we have,” she added.
ENGAGING WITH STAKEHOLDERS In the Milano Cortina 2026 presentation, Riccardi and Francisi also underlined a strong connection and collaboration with the international sports federations, National Olympic Committees, and the media, while praising the significant role of volunteers.
The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 will take place from February 6 to 22, 2026. The Paralympic Winter Games will take place from March 6 to 15, 2026.
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