Italy will host 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina

The International Olympic Committee announced Monday that Italy’s bid to host the 2026 Winter Olympics has been accepted.

The games will be held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, IOC President Thomas Bach revealed during the announcement ceremony.

IOC officials voted between the Italian bid and one from the Swedish city of Stockholm-Are.

The announcement marks the Winter Olympics’ return to Europe, with the event having been hosted by Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2018 and the Chinese city of Beijing staging the Games in 2022.

Italy has twice hosted Winter Olympics in the past – Cortina in 1956 and Turin in 2006 – but it will be the first held in Milan.

Actually, is it Milan-Cortina or Milano-Cortina? The official International Olympic Committee twitter, which used both Milan-Cortina and Milano-Cortina, appears to be undecided on what the Olympics will be called.

An IOC spokesperson did not say what the official name will be, but noted that Milan-Cortina is the name in English and Milano-Cortina is the name in Italian.

 

Milano will host 2026 Winter Olympics - Duomo Milano, Milan Cathedral, Photo by Benjamin Voros Unsplash
Milano will host 2026 Winter Olympics – Duomo Milano, Milan Cathedral, Photo by Benjamin Voros Unsplash