Venues of the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics explained

The 2026 Winter Olympics and 2026 Winter Paralympics, hosted by the cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, will make use of 25 event venues across four clusters in northern Italy. These consist of nineteen existing venues, two newly-built venues, and four temporary venues.[1] Over 90% of the venues consist of ones that already exist or temporary ones.[2] The Games are reportedly set to be the most geographically widespread in Olympic history; the use of existing venues means the events will be held in an area spanning more than 22000km2.[3]

Milano Cluster

Milan contains four competition venues for four Olympic sports and one Paralympic sport.[4] Construction on a new 16,000-seat ice hockey venue in the Santa Giulia area commenced on 28 November 2023 at an initial estimate of €180 million; however, an additional €70–90 million is reportedly needed due to rising costs of energy and materials.[5] [6] Six buildings that will comprise an Olympic and Paralympic Village in Milan are being built at the railyard of the Milano Porta Romana railway station; the project's initial cost of €100 million was later revised to €140 million.[7] Temporary arenas are being built at the Fiera Milano Rho complex for ice hockey and speed skating at a cost of €15 million.

Cortina Cluster

Cortina d'Ampezzo contains four competition venues for five Olympic sports and three Paralympic sports.[8] In addition, the venue for biathlon is located in Antholz.[9]

Impresa Pizzarotti has started on construction of a new bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track in Cortina d'Ampezzo at a cost of €81 million.[10] The government of Italy made the decision to rebuild the former track in Cortina d'Ampezzo used during the 1956 Winter Olympics despite opposition from the International Olympic Committee. The project has received criticism from environmental groups due to the planned felling of 20000m2 of larch forest. However, there are concerns that the venue will not be finished in time for the Games; back-up venues for the sliding events are located in Austria (Olympic Sliding Centre Innsbruck in Igls), Switzerland (St. Moritz-Celerina Olympic Bobrun in St. Moritz, and the United States (Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic Bobsled Run in Lake Placid).

Construction has also started on the temporary Olympic and Paralympic Village in, located north of Cortina d'Ampezzo. It will accommodate around 1,400 guests and has a cost of around €39 million.[11]

Valtellina Cluster

Bormio contains one competition venue for two Olympic sports, while Livigno contains two competition venues for two Olympic sports.[12] [13] In both towns, existing hotels will be act as the Olympic Villages, with four in the former and three in the latter.[14]

Val di Fiemme Cluster

Predazzo contains one competition venue for two Olympic sports, while Tesero contains one competition venue for two Olympic sports and two Paralympic sports.[15] [16] The Olympic and Paralympic Village in Predazzo will be located on the grounds of the . It consists of five pavilions at a total cost of approximately €50 million.[17]

Verona

Verona contains one non-competition venue that will host two ceremonies.[18]

Notes and References

  1. Sustainability, Impact and Legacy Report 2023: The Strategy and Planning Phases. November 2023. Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026. 30 November 2024.
  2. Web site: Milano Cortina 2026: Top things to know about next Olympic Winter Games. 13 May 2023. ZK. Goh. International Olympic Committee. 1 December 2024.
  3. Web site: Buying tickets for the 2026 Winter Games will be tricky. Sliding could be in Cortina or Lake Placid. 9 August 2024. Andrew. Dampf. AP News. 1 December 2024.
  4. Web site: Milano. Milano Cortina 2026. 30 November 2024.
  5. Web site: Olimpiadi Milano-Cortina 2026, occhi sul PalaItalia: i tempi sono stretti. Villaggio in anticipo. 6 July 2024. Massimilian. Mingoia. it. Il Giorno. 1 December 2024.
  6. Web site: Groundbreaking for the Arena in Santa Giulia in Milan. 28 November 2023. David Chipperfield Architects. 1 December 2024.
  7. Web site: Completati gli edifici del Villaggio olimpico (che costerà 40 milioni in più). it. MilanoToday. 7 March 2024. 1 December 2024.
  8. Web site: Cortina d'Ampezzo. Milano Cortina 2026. 30 November 2024.
  9. Web site: Anterselva/Antholz. Milano Cortina 2026. 30 November 2024.
  10. Web site: Death threats against mayor over ice channel. 1 March 2024. Kronen Zeitung. 1 December 2024.
  11. Web site: Cortina, villaggio olimpico: a Fiames l'opera da 40 milioni di euro per 1.400 atleti. 12 June 2024. it. Il Gazzettino. 1 December 2024.
  12. Web site: Bormio. Milano Cortina 2026. 30 November 2024.
  13. Web site: Livigno. Milano Cortina 2026. 30 November 2024.
  14. Web site: Venue Masterplan. 4 April 2024. Consiglio nazionale degli ingegneri. 1 December 2024.
  15. Web site: Predazzo. Milano Cortina 2026. 30 November 2024.
  16. Web site: Tesero. Milano Cortina 2026. 30 November 2024.
  17. Web site: Predazzo, al via i lavori del "villaggio olimpico" da 50 milioni di euro. 19 June 2024. l'Adige. it. 1 December 2024.
  18. Web site: Verona. Milano Cortina 2026. 30 November 2024.