The link that the Organizing Committee of the next Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games of Milano Cortina 2026 has with its territories is deep and central: the Games will embrace different territories and cultures over a span of 22,000 square kilometers and, with a view to sustainability, will use 93% of existing or temporary plants.
For this reason, the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation has launched a strategic dialogue aimed at enhancing and optimizing relations with the various entities already involved in the Olympic and Paralympic territories in the organization and management of sporting events. And it is precisely from this perspective that the collaboration between the Organizing Committee of the 2026 Games and the Cortina Foundation was born which, thanks to its know-how, has already demonstrated that it possesses great professionalism and competence in organizing sporting events of international importance.
Specifically, the Cortina Foundation will be responsible for supporting the Organizing Committee of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games by providing technical and operational collaboration in the organization of the annual meetings with the International Olympic Committee and with the various International Federations; will support the programming and operational planning of the Olympic events, with particular attention to the service levels to be guaranteed to the relevant stakeholders, as well as the related policies and procedures to be respected; will take care – with the supervision of the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation – of the preparatory activities in view of the 2026 Paralympic competitions.
“Cortina is one of the two official host cities of the Olympics and Paralympics, we are the first to have signed this agreement which will be the basis of all the collaboration spread across the territories envisaged by the innovative Milano Cortina 2026 model. I am really enthusiastic because it is the crowning of a path that will bring concrete repercussions for the area in terms of economics, employment and the revitalization of sports facilities and venues whose long-term benefits will allow sustainable and inclusive development of our city”, commented the Mayor of Cortina d’Ampezzo Gianluca Lorenzo.
Giovanni Malagò, President of the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation, declared: “Cortina d’Ampezzo boasts a tradition of the highest order in hosting international events at the highest level. An experience that from the 1956 Olympics branches out until today. I am convinced that these skills, combined with the passion and skills that the friends of the Cortina Foundation have shown to have, will be the key to organizing highly successful Olympic and Paralympic Games and to leaving a legacy made up of increasingly specialized skills for the whole territory”.
“Today’s signing marks a very important moment for Cortina D’Ampezzo along the path that will lead us to host some of the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic events: a mix of local expertise and international vision that can make the difference. In fact, the Cortina Foundation will make available all its experience in organizing international events and all the sporting tradition inherent in the DNA of the territory. Here in Cortina live generations of athletes and professionals whose skills have already been successfully deployed on the occasion of the 2021 Alpine Ski World Championships and who constitute a unique legacy to be shared for the future development of the territory and also in an Olympic key. We will be an attentive and proactive local reference for Milano Cortina 2026, the quality of human resources, both in the Ampezzo basin and in the whole Belluno area, I am sure will be the winning key”, commented Stefano Longo, President of the Cortina Foundation.
For Andrea Varnier, CEO of the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation: “This agreement marks a very important moment in the history of our Olympic and Paralympic journey. The most widespread Games of all time cannot do without the involvement of the territories, which are also the protagonists of this magnificent adventure. The experience gained by the Cortina Foundation in the management of major international sporting events will be fundamental and will help us create an unforgettable and unique edition of the Games”.