Milan-Cortina’s 2026 Olympics to rely on existing facilities

Article posted by Coliseum, July 25^th, 2019

Image: IOC

Milan-Cortina, which has been selected to host the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics Games, has revealed the events will aim for a low carbon footprint, with the majority of facilities used being existing, CLAD news reported.

Milan-Cortina’s bid received 47 out of a total of 82 votes cast by IOC members, with rival bid Stockholm-Åre receiving 34 votes, with one abstention.

The bids from Milan and Stockholm were the first to be produced since the publication of the IOC’s sustainability policy, Olympic Agenda 2020/The New Norm, which was published in February 2018 with the aim of delivering “substantial benefits to the cities and their projects”, CLAD reported.

The Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics will rely largely on existing venues. Out of the 12 competition venues, nine will be existing facilities, while two will be temporary builds, the report stated.

One new competition venue will be built for ice hockey – an indoor, multi-use arena in the Santa Giulia district of Milan. It will be built by property companies Risanamento and Lendlease and operated in partnership by Oak View Group and Live Nation.

As well as all the ice hockey games, the city of Milan will also host all skating competition, while alpine skiing events will take place in Cortina d’Ampezzo, 100 miles away. Some snow sports events will also be held at Bormio and Livigno.

There has been an emphasis on lowering the costs of hosting Olympic events and IOC has conceded that cities should be allowed to use existing infrastructure, rather than always investing in new stadiums and facilities.

IOC president Thomas Bach said he believes that the “experienced venue operators” lined up for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games will ensure a “perfect atmosphere” for athletes at the 2026 edition.

“With this project aligned with Olympic Agenda 2020, we have seen how we can also lower the complexity of the Games and how the use of existing facilities is facilitating sustainability and legacy goals. In this respect, the candidature of Milan-Cortina stood out, with 93 per cent use of existing or temporary facilities,” Bach added.

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