CONI officially invited to participate in the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games. At the Strehler Theater in Milan, on the occasion of the “One Year to Go” celebrations for the Italian Games, IOC President Thomas Bach forwarded official invitations to the National Olympic Committees and their top winter sports athletes to participate in the five-circle event to be held in Lombardy, Veneto and Trentino Alto Adige from February 6 to 22, 2026.

The IOC’s number one symbolically presented invitations to the presidents and representatives of Greece, the birthplace of the Olympic Games, and the Olympic committees of the host countries of the past and upcoming editions of the five-circle review: Australia (Brisbane 2032), China (Beijing 2022), France (Paris 2024 and French Alps 2030), Italy (Milan Cortina 2026) and the United States (Los Angeles 2028 and Salt Lake City-Utah 2034). Receiving him for CONI were President and IOC member Giovanni Malagò swimming Olympian and IOC member Federica Pellegrini and Amos Mosaner, Olympic curling champion at Beijing 2022, representing all the athletes of the Italy Team.

In his speech during the ceremony Bach said, “Athletes are at the center of the Olympic Movement. What better way to honor our ancient heritage and to manifest our faith in the future than through the presence of Olympians who represent the National Olympic Committees of our Greek roots and the hosts of the Olympic Games and Winter Games of the past and future. They symbolize the continuityà of the Olympic Games, rooted in history and always moving forward to a brighter future. Milan, Cortina and all our Italian friends are ready to welcome the best winter sports athletes on the planet with open arms, with Italy&s renowned hospitality and love for sport”.

Some 2,900 athletes from more than 90 National Olympic Committees are expected to participate in the Milan Cortina 2026 Games. And Bach, who in recent days has met with the country&#39s top institutional officials (Mattarella and Meloni) and visited CONI and its Olympic Preparation Center, stressed how there is growing enthusiasm in Italy for the Games’s imminent arrival in our territory. “The excitement is growing and has already reached millions of people. Programs like Italy of the Games, Gen26 and the Cultural Olympiad are spreading Olympic values, promoting active lifestyles and merging sports and culture throughout Italy. The Torch Relay will carry the Olympic flame to all Italian provinces. The volunteer program attracted nearly four times as many applications as available positions, reflecting the immense enthusiasm for these Winter Olympic Games. All this and countless other initiatives wonderfully demonstrate that the legacy of Milan Cortina 2026 is taking shape long before the Olympic flame is lit”.

“Those of Milan Cortina 2026 – he added – will be the first Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to fully benefit from the reforms of our Olympic Agenda from start to finish. Together with all of our Italian partners and friends, along with all of you, we look forward to the Winter Olympic Games that will pulsate with Italy’s passion for sports and highlight Italy&#39s unique culture and heritage.

Present at the ceremony were Matteo Salvini, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport; the Minister for Sports and Youth Andrea Abodi; the Mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala; the Mayor of Cortina d’Ampezzo Gianluca Lorenzi; the President of the Lombardy Region Attilio Fontana; the President of the Veneto Region Luca Zaia; the President of the Autonomous Province of Trento Maurizio Fugatti and the President of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano Arno Kompatscher.

“The competitions will take place in iconic locations rich in winter sports traditions – concluded Bach -. Most of them are already hosting world-class events year after year. Locations such as Cortina, Livigno, Val di Fiemme, Bormio and Anterselva are synonymous with winter sports. Milan Cortina 2026 brings the Winter Olympic Games to places where winter sports are part of local identity. This approach è very much in line with the Olympic Agenda, making the most of existing state-of-the-art facilities”.