IOC Evaluation Commission Begins Working Visit To Milan-Cortina,

Sighs of relief all round as the Italian Prime Minister has agreed to sign the financial guarantees required by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to support a joint bid from Milan and Cortina, Italy.

The IOC will select the host city for the 2026 Winter Olympics at the 134th IOC Session in Lausanne, Switzerland on June 24, 2019, chosing between Milan - Cortina and Stockholm - Åre.

The second of the two working visits of the International Olympic Committee evaluation commission for the Olympic and Paralympic winter games 2026 starts this week in Italy.

Replicating the format from last month in Stockholm-Åre (Sweden), this visit will take place over five days from Tuesday 2 April to Saturday 6 April, and will include presentations of venues and discussions with the candidature team and local stakeholders.

In line with the reforms of Olympic Agenda 2020, the new Candidature Process was introduced in October 2017 and features a deeper partnership between the Cities and the National Olympic Committees. The visit is an important step in a wider process of interaction and collaboration.

Evaluation Commission Chair Octavian Morariu said: “We have been working with the Candidate Cities for some time, which gives us confidence they are developing great technical projects. The Games can now fully adapt to meet the local ambitions of host cities and regions, reducing costs, maximising legacy and promoting sustainability. We are very excited to see how the plans match the reality on the ground.”

The new two-stage approach to the Candidature Process included a one-year, non-committal Dialogue Stage and increased support from the IOC in the form of technical advice, communications assistance and materials to develop the best possible plans.

The visit to Italy begins in the Cortina cluster, already confirmed as the host for the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2021 and the proposed location for women’s Alpine skiing, biathlon, curling and the sliding sports. This will be followed by a tour of the venues for the Nordic events and speed skating in Val di Fiemme. On the second day, the Commission will see the men’s Alpine venue and the slopes for freestyle and snowboard in Valtellina. Thursday 4 April will comprise site visits in Milan, where detailed presentations and discussions will be held one day later before the meeting closes on Saturday 6 April.

The two working visits to Stockholm-Åre and Milan-Cortina* will inform the assessment to be made by the Evaluation Commission of the opportunities and challenges of each candidature. This will form part of the report to assist the IOC Members ahead of the host city election, which will take place on 24 June during the 134th IOC Session in Lausanne.

Candidate Cities 2026 projects – Examples of the positive impact of Olympic Agenda 2020

• Fewer deliverables have been required and increased technical expertise has been provided by the IOC directly to the Cities throughout the process, leading to substantially reduced candidature budgets – over 75 per cent in the average projected budgets of the two candidates compared to the average budgets of the Candidate Cities 2018 and 2022.
• On average, the Candidate Cities 2026 will use 80 per cent of existing or temporary venues, compared to 60 per cent among the candidates for the Olympic Winter Games 2018 and 2022.
• The initial Games operating costs projected by the two candidates are on average 20 per cent (approximately USD 400 million) lower than those in the two previous candidature processes.

*Cities are listed in the order of drawing of lots as performed by the IOC Executive Board.

Should Milan–Cortina d'Ampezzo be chosen to host in 2026, this will be the first time that Milan has hosted the Olympic Games, and it will mark the 20th anniversary of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo.