For the succession at the top of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics Foundation the name of Andrea Abodipresident of the institute of Sports credit, could make everyone agree. Welcomed by the center-right and also appreciated by the center-right, he should be the one to replace the outgoing Vincenzo Novari. But times are uncertain: it is still unclear whether the ministerial decree will arrive before or after the elections on 25 September, or with the birth of the new government (which could probably be formed at the end of October or November).
The timing in this matter it is not a detail: without a new name, the company that will manage the 2026 Winter Games is in fact at a standstill. However, the outgoing premier Mario Draghi may deem it appropriate to wait for the new political course. The scenario should clear up in the coming days.
On this point – the need to act quickly or to wait for the new executive – the territorial institutions are divided: for the governor of Lombardy Attilio Fontana it would be better to wait for a new majority in Parliament, since it is an apical role within a subsidiary company by the Ministry of Economy and Finance; for the mayor Giuseppe Sala it would be better to resolve the situation as soon as possible, which risks paralyzing. The governor of Veneto Luca Zaia was less pressing, however, he had already asked the government to intervene to bring the Mef into the company, which then happened with the Aid bis decree.
The appointment of the new CEO was the subject of a tug-of-war. The name chosen by the Draghi government and communicated on 23 August to local authorities was that of Michele Uva. Sports manager of Uefa, it seemed like a name that would have made everyone agree. There was a favorable opinion from the Municipality of Milan, but resistance came from Lombardy, in the wake of what was suggested by the president of Coni Giovanni Malagò, who would have preferred the president of Milan, as well as former CEO of Enel and Eni, Paolo Scaroni.
A strong name, that of Scaroni, but unlikely from the beginning: the manager intends to maintain the presidency of the team, which, moreover, in Milan already has the commitment to build the new stadium, and the government believes that the double assignment is inappropriate.