The locations of Milan-Cortina 2026: why they were chosen and how travel will be managed

The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics will officially start on February 6, 2026 on systems distributed between Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige And Veneto. Considering the position of the various structures, it is natural to ask what is the criterion underlying the choices of the organizing committee and, above all, how the flow of athletes in the different territories will be managed. As can be seen from the official report of the Italian candidacy, only two key plants required completely new infrastructure. In all other cases, the locations already existed existing or they only needed some redevelopment works, temporary or permanent. Also, thanks to the three Olympic Villages And Paralympians (the Paralympics will begin on March 6) responsible for and collaboration with hotels existing, all athletes and officials will stay at a maximum distance of 30 minutes by car from the race venue.

Where the Winter Olympics are held: map of locations

In the official documents, thanks to which Italy obtained the assignment of the event on its territory, we can find many values And principles fundamentals. Among these, the strong desire to collaborate with the companies certainly stands out entities and the institutions premises in order to create a tangible legacy for the area concerned and carry out the entire event in compliance with growth programs already started at a local level for some time. In fact, these are long-term projects that have the objective of increasing and improving regions and cities. To give some examples, we can cite: the urban development plan Milan 2030the regional development program for Lombardy 2018-2023 or even the strategic plan of the region Veneto. These documents, together with the international ones, are the basis on which the entire logistical planning of the Games rests. With this in mind, every choice was made with the idea of ​​organizing an event that could represent a milestone in the industry, but also a strong one catalystcapable of accelerating important programs already underway. In fact, the dossiers reveal the desire to strengthen, through games, Italy’s image in the world, promote new development models thanks to sport, enhance social power, encourage tourism development policies at a macro-regional level.

Following these evaluations, the organizing committee has selected, in the territories already listed, some strategic locations to guarantee the highest standards for the event. These can be divided into four clusters:

1. The first is that of Milan, which includes three different race facilities: the PalaItalia Santa GiuliatheArena Hockey Milan and the Mediolanum Forum. The first two will be used forhockeywhile the third will host the competitions of figure skating And short tracks. Then there are other areas of the cluster that will not be specifically used for competitions, but will still play a crucial role for the event. In the San Siro stadium”Giuseppe Meazza”for example, there will be the opening ceremony, the first will take place in the Porta Romana area Olympic Village and, finally, a modern one will be located in the Rho exhibition centre Media Centre.
2. The second cluster is that of Valtellina. The first location affected is Bormiohome of the suggestive Stelvio slope and, therefore, of the competitions men’s alpine skiing. TO Livignoinstead, in the offices of Mottolino/Sitas and Tagliede/Carosello 3000 competitions will take place snowboarding And freestyle. Just a five minute walk from the offices, there will also be a in Livigno Olympic Village to host the participants (at the end of the event the latter will be converted into a structure with emergency accommodation intended for Civil Protection).
3. The third cluster is that of Val di Fiemme with three main offices: Baselga di Piné, Tesero And Predazzo. In the first, thanks to the already existing elite track, you will be able to attend the speed skating. Following this, again on existing systems, you will be able to attend the Nordic skiing (Tesero) et al ski jumping (Predazzo). The latter two locations will also host competitions Nordic combined.
4. The last cluster is that of Curtain. In this case, the first implant is lo Olympic Stadiumcarefully renovated, theater of curling. On the trail Tofane, instead, you will be able to witness the women’s alpine skiing and to the event in teams. For the bobsleigh, luge and skeleton the system chosen is that of Sliding Center ‘E. Mountainsalso renovated. To complete the picture, the last location is that of Anterselva/Antholz with the Südtirol Arena, among the largest plants in the world biathlon. The closing ceremony will be hosted byVerona Arena. Furthermore, Cortina will also be home to the third Olympic Village (also in this case, at the end of the event converted into a structure with emergency accommodation intended for Civil Protection) and of Mountain Media Centre.

The reasons for the choices

Only two key Olympic venues required new infrastructure, the other selected venues are either existing and ready or existing but with need for temporary or permanent works (only three). To have a more detailed picture, we specify that the two venues “new” I’m the Milan Olympic Village (which will be converted into student accommodation) and the Altarpiece Italy Santa Giulia (which will remain active as a multipurpose facility). The Milan Hockey Stadium, the Cortina Sliding Center and the Pinè ice rink are, however, the facilities that required permanent works.

The strategy for planning the venues for the Olympics followed, therefore, criteria well defined with a view to creating an event sustainable in all its meanings. From an operational point of view, this translates into the choice of predominantly systems already existing and with a iconic value recognized globally. New buildings or renovations were envisaged only if already planned in light of well-defined territorial needs and with the aim of increasing the sporting heritage of the host area. For all structures, especially if newly established, a optimal subsequent use at the end of the Olympic Games.

Distances and travel in Milan-Cortina

The travel of the Olympic teams and accompanying persons will be reduced to the bare minimum. In fact, as already mentioned and as can also be seen from the map inserted above, the connections between the training and competition venues are excellent. Thanks to the three Olympic Villages and the agreements stipulated with the hotel facilities in the area, the maximum distance that an athlete can travel during the event is 30 minutes. In other cases, especially in the villages of Cortina and Livigno, there are even facilities that can be reached on foot 5 minutes.

More complicated situation for the public. Geography imposes considerable distances and travel times. For example, to move from Milan to Cortina d’Ampezzo let’s talk about 400 km and an estimated time (by car) of approx 4/5 hours. With public transport the time can increase, requiring changes in intermediate cities. While to go from Cortina d’Ampezzo in Bormiowhich as the crow flies are not that far away, you have to travel about 300 km, also in this case in more than 4 hours of travel. In the end, Milan and Bormio they are connected by a car journey of approximately 200 km and a 3-hour journey.

To manage the influx of people from all over the world, cities have organized themselves with Olympic restricted traffic zones, territorial passes, strengthening of public transport and shuttle services. The organizers’ advice is to limit the use of personal cars.