MILANO CORTINA 2026
Winter Olympic Games | 2026
MILANO CORTINA 2026 WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES
The Milano Cortina 2026 Candidature fully embraces the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020/New Norm, putting the long-term development strategies and challenges of the host cities and regions at the centre.
They pledge to contribute to a golden decade of Olympic and Paralympic sport, placing Milano Cortina alongside other leading international cities, to help reposition the Games in modern society.
The selection of the venues is fully aligned with the ambition of northern Italy to become a world-class hub of excellence for winter sports. The Games will showcase the quality of the selected sports infrastructure and help to invest in renovating/upgrading those venues that need investments.
The Games will also be conducive to greater cooperation in the entire Alpine macro-region, to improve the attractiveness of the mountains as a place to live and reverse the trend of depopulation.
Finally, the Games are a unique opportunity to showcase Italy’s design style that has seen the “Made in Italy” brand become synonymous with excellence all over the world.
MILANO CORTINA 2026 NEWS
Milano Cortina 2026 – Team Ireland Update
Excitement continues to build as we move closer to the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, scheduled for 6–22 February 2026. The Olympic flame has now completed its handover in Athens and begun a 12,000 km torch relay across Italy, visiting all 110 provinces in the lead-up to opening night in Milan. Organisers report [...]
The Power of Perseverance: How Cross-country skier Thomas Maloney Westgård pushed past expectations
IF ANYONE embodies the Olympic Federation of Ireland’s ‘Dare to Believe’ motto it is the country’s top cross-country skier and programme ambassador Thomas Maloney Westgård. It is 11 years since the 6’ 1” Norwegian-Irish skier first represented Ireland and since then he has shot up through the ranks of the world’s toughest endurance athletes to [...]
MILANO CORTINA 2026 – CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING
On the road to Milano Cortina, we will give you the key sports and athletes that are aiming to qualify and represent #TeamIreland at the Winter Olympic Games in February 2026! Qualification for cross-country skiing at Milano Cortina 2026 is based on the World Championships in 2025 and the Nation Rankings 2024/2025. Team Ireland [...]
Olympic flame lit in Ancient Olympia as Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Torch Relay begins
The Olympic flame for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games was lit today in Ancient Olympia, the historic birthplace of the Olympic Games. The ceremony marks the beginning of the flame’s journey towards Italy, where it will arrive on 4 December to travel across the country on its way to the Opening Ceremony on [...]
MILANO CORTINA 2026 – LUGE
On the road to Milano Cortina, we will give you the key sports and athletes that are aiming to qualify and represent #TeamIreland at the Winter Olympic Games in February 2026! In Cortina, 25 quota spots will be available for athletes in the Women's Single, with Elsa Desmond's results over the 2025/2026 season contributing to [...]
CLOSING CEREMONY OF THE MILANO CORTINA 2026 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES TO BE A TRIBUTE TO “BEAUTY IN ACTION”
“Beauty in Action” is the title of the Closing Ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games that will take place on the 22nd of February 2026 at Arena di Verona. At the Verona Philharmonic Theater, Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 presented today the creative theme of the closing event of the next Olympic Winter [...]
Milano Cortina 2026 – Short Track
On the road to Milano Cortina, we will give you the key sports and athletes that are aiming to qualify and represent #TeamIreland at the Winter Olympic Games in February 2026! Qualification is based on results from ISU World Cup Competitions during the 2025/2026 season. For Liam and Sean this means strong placings across 4 [...]
Milano Cortina 2026 – Alpine Skiing
On the road to Milano Cortina, we will give you the key sports and athletes that are aiming to qualify and represent #TeamIreland at the Winter Olympic Games in February 2026! Ireland is guaranteed to have one male and one female competing in Alpine Skiing. Athletes are battling out on the slopes over the coming [...]
Milano Cortina 2026 Village Cluster Format
At the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, competitions will be spread across six distinct “clusters” in Northern Italy. For Team Ireland, this set-up means athletes will be based in different villages depending on their sport, but together they will showcase Irish talent across a wide range of disciplines. The Milano Cluster will host skating [...]
Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games: Medal Design Revealed
The official unveiling of the medal designs for the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games occurred earlier this month. The ceremony took place in Venice and featured appearances from celebrated Italian athletes Federica Pellegrini and Francesca Porcellato, underscoring the symbolism and national pride of the moment. Medal Design Highlights Splitsurface composition: [...]