President Mattarella opens the 145th IOC Session: “Italy wishes everyone unforgettable Games”
- AT TEATRO ALLA SCALA
On the evening of Monday 2 February, at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the 145th Session of the International Olympic Committee was inaugurated in the presence of the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella. The Head of State, accompanied by IOC President Kirsty Coventry, was welcomed by the Mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, and the Superintendent and Artistic Director of Teatro alla Scala, Fortunato Ortombina, and received greetings from the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Lorenzo Fontana, and the Deputy President of the Senate, Licia Ronzulli. CONI President Luciano Buonfiglio attended the ceremony (photo Ferdinando Mezzelani/CONI), together with the General Secretary and Chef de Mission of the Italia Team for the imminent Winter Olympic Games, Carlo Mornati. Also among those present were the Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi, and the President of the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation, Giovanni Malagò.
After the performance of the Olympic Anthem and the Italian national anthem by the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra conducted by Maestro Riccardo Chailly, CONI President Luciano Buonfiglio was the first to speak: “Mr President of the Republic, Madam President of the IOC, dear friends, this is the fourth time Italy has been called upon to host the Olympic Games. The previous editions — Cortina 1956, Rome 1960 and Turin 2006 — have represented significant milestones in Olympic history, demonstrating our capacity for hospitality, friendship, fraternity and, last but not least, our organisational ability. The founder of Olympism, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, maintained that ‘To host the Olympic Games means to evoke history’. And as we come here, to Teatro alla Scala, one of the world’s oldest, most iconic and prestigious opera houses, in a place steeped in history, we cannot forget that the Olympic Games are children of the Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece: a union of contests and music, where athletic performances were integrated with lyrical and theatrical elements, where the epinicion was the lyric chant celebrating winning athletes. The bond between opera and sport therefore has almost three thousand years of life. History is not simply remembrance: it is living. Living daily life, which constantly places new challenges and new emergencies before us, to which sport can provide unique, meaningful and important answers. Sport is the beacon of excellence and unity, where the ancient Olympic Truce required states at war to set conflicts aside in the name of peace and fair competition. Sadly, current events instead envelop us in uncertainty, but the Olympic Movement must stand as an eternal beacon of peace, unity and boundless humanity. Once again, as the Holy Father has reminded us, we too underline that sport can build bridges where others raise barriers; and yet, as we have seen in recent days, amid the most varied turbulence, the Olympic Flame does not tremble — rather, ever brighter, it invites us to embrace, to unite and not to divide. Sport must promote, with ever greater commitment, the universality of its values and inspire younger generations towards a better future, with lifestyles that encourage respect, inclusion and resilience. This is the fourth time Italy has hosted the Games, but the first time that an Olympian stands at the head of CONI. For me, beyond being an honour, it is also a responsibility towards all athletes. To them I will dedicate my work as President; with them I will engage concretely to build models that inspire younger generations to approach their growth with commitment, determination, competence, passion and enthusiasm. Athletes are therefore the fulcrum of the Olympic Movement. Everything revolves around them. And we must ensure that every initiative, every decision, every project places the athlete at its centre, committing ourselves to them and emphasising the values I have just expressed. Only in this way can we evolve, improve and achieve new successes for a global sport that guarantees a winning and unified future for Olympism. We are a family: the Olympic Family. Peace and harmony are indispensable elements of our activity. The Olympic Games are not only a global sporting event but a powerful force that can influence and affect the world’s balance, overcoming divisions and restoring respect for the vulnerable. I conclude with one of the most significant lines of the Olympic Anthem we have just heard: ‘May all the flags of every land unfold in brotherhood’. ‘Arkaeo Pneuma Athanato’ and may the eternal Olympic Flame illuminate our path forever. Welcome to Milan. Welcome to Italy. Welcome, everyone”.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry described her presence at today’s ceremony as “a profound emotion just days before the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games”, then offered “a heartfelt thank you to Italy for such a warm welcome in this magnificent place: Teatro alla Scala. From this stage, generations of artists, opera singers and musicians have inspired their audiences through artistic excellence, beauty and emotion. La Scala represents the Italian spirit: a deep love of the arts and of life, of human creativity, of the harmonious fusion of tradition and innovation. It is the same spirit that will now welcome the world’s best winter athletes, preparing to realise their Olympic dream.” “On behalf of the athletes and the entire Olympic community,” Coventry added, “I therefore wish to express our most sincere thanks and our profound gratitude to all of you: to President Mattarella, to Prime Minister Meloni and to all regional authorities, to the mayors and host communities. A special thank you goes to the Organising Committee and to President Malagò for the constant commitment and ambition shown. We are immensely grateful for your collaboration: Milano Cortina 2026 is truly a collective effort. To paraphrase an African saying: it takes an entire Olympic Village to make an athlete’s dream come true. Thanks to everyone’s contribution, athletes will be able to shine on a magnificent Olympic stage, inspiring the world with their excellence, their artistry, their beauty and emotion. Thank you for making all of this possible — thank you, Italy. Milano Cortina will be a new kind of Winter Games: it will bring athletes and fans to places where winter sports are part of daily life; it will showcase existing world-class venues; it will unite tradition and innovation. These will be Games in which gender equality reaches new milestones and iconic landscapes become the stage for human excellence. Thanks to this pioneering work, Italy is not merely hosting the next Winter Games: you are setting a new standard for the Games of the future. And that is a source of great pride. For me, personally, these are the first Winter Olympic Games of my presidential term — and I could not be more excited to be in Italy. Because Italy embodies passion like no other country: a passion expressed through art, sport, innovation and tradition, through a boundless joy of living. This passion — this unmistakable Italian spirit — will be the heartbeat of Milano Cortina 2026. Let us celebrate together, this evening, this moment — the beginning of a new chapter in Olympic history, written with authentic Italian spirit and passion. Thank you very much, Italy”.
Subsequently, the President of the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation, Giovanni Malagò, spoke, describing Teatro alla Scala as “a global symbol of excellence, music and art, a monument where the universal language rises above every barrier and speaks to people from every part of the world. Milano Cortina 2026 is a global event capable of promoting sport, its values, its abilities unique in uniting people; it is an extraordinary showcase to display Italy’s excellence, its culture, its art, its landscapes, its quality of life, its heart, its craftsmanship and its long tradition of hospitality. Milano Cortina 2026 is an edition that looks to the future: two cities, two regions, two autonomous provinces, a rich mosaic of people, cultures and languages. Italy is aware that these Olympic Games coincide with one of the most difficult moments in recent world history. This makes the message of peace, fraternity and fair competition conveyed by the athletes and the Olympic family even more significant and important, resonating powerfully in every corner of the world”.
Finally, as protocol dictates, President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella was the last to speak, opening the Session: “Mr President of CONI, Members of the International Olympic Committee, Ladies and Gentlemen gathered for this important ceremony, I am pleased to welcome you to Italy, to Milan, on the eve of the opening of the Winter Olympics. The Games are a universal sporting event and Italy is happy to welcome the many athletes, coaches, technicians and spectators who will come together from every part of the world to watch the competitions. We feel the responsibility and we have approached the commitments of preparation with passion. We consider hospitality a characteristic feature of Italian identity, as President Coventry kindly said, whom I wish to thank. Italy, as President Buonfiglio recalled, is hosting its fourth Olympics as an organising country. We will deploy every effort to ensure that the time spent during the competitions is pleasant, and we aim to offer, with friendship and cordiality, the opportunity to admire our mountains and the cities that will host the events, as well as to discover other places rich in history and beauty. The Olympic Games are an opportunity for encounter and knowledge, as President Malagò recalled. Athletes, technicians and officials from over 90 countries come together in an occasion that is not limited to the sporting dimension, but is a great global event that sends a message to our difficult times. Wars, fractures in the serenity of international life, imbalances and suffering bring darkness and wound the consciences of peoples. Sport welcomes, with light, joy, passion and hope, expressing respect for others, a challenge to one’s limits and the freedom to progress. Sport is a meeting of peace and bears witness to fraternity and the loyalty of competition with others, and it is the opposite of a world where barriers and incomprehension prevail; it stands against violence which, whoever practises it, generates further violence, tramples human dignity, oppresses peoples and causes their quality of life to regress. We ask with stubborn determination that the Olympic Truce be respected everywhere and that the unarmed strength of sport silence weapons. Sport is a great force in the world of global communications; the Games are an engaging instrument in the world of global communications to call for peace and mutual understanding. We must be the peace we wish to see in the world, Martin Luther King used to say. From Milan to Cortina, from Bormio to Livigno, from Antholz to Val di Fiemme, from Verona — which will host the Paralympic Opening Ceremony — sport will present itself as a vehicle for this hope, which unites peoples of all continents. The Olympic values of loyalty, inclusion and fraternity are values that the Italian Republic has embraced since its foundation. I thank the International Olympic Committee because it continues to develop worldwide this experience of encounter, passion, education and shared culture. I thank the athletes because their dream is contagious and beneficial and they are an example for young people across the world. Many girls and boys, after following the Games, will take up sport. I wish all of you — sports officials, athletes, technicians, spectators — to be moved, and to pass on the passion that can already be felt in this enchanting theatre, where we sense the precious threads that bind music and sport. Italy wishes you a good, happy and unforgettable Olympics. I declare open the 145th Session of the International Olympic Committee”.
Milan, 145th IOC session inaugurated by President Mattarella
IOC President Kirsty Coventry visits the Italia Team delegation in Milan
- OLYMPIC GAMES
On the morning of Monday 2 February, IOC President Kirsty Coventry visited the Italia Team delegation. The head of the International Olympic Committee, accompanied by CONI Secretary General and Chef de Mission Carlo Mornati, Deputy Vice President Diana Bianchedi, Milano Cortina Foundation President Giovanni Malagò and a delegation of IOC members present in Milan ahead of the imminent Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, praised the organisation of the Italian team and conveyed her greetings to the athletes in attendance, visiting the mission offices, the medical station set up by the Institute of Sports Medicine and Science inside the Olympic Village, and the athletes’ lounge located on the top floor of Building F, which is hosting the Italian team at this Winter edition of the five rings. Deputy Chefs de Mission Enzo Bartolomeo and Giampiero Pastore were also present. Prior to the visit, President Coventry also signed the Olympic Truce Wall at the entrance to the Village.
Visit by CIO President Coventry to the Italia Team delegation in Milan
Milano Cortina 2026 joins the United Nations for road safety
- TOWARDS OLYMPIC GAMES
The Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 represent a unique opportunity not only to celebrate sporting excellence and cultural exchange, but also to inspire positive social change, particularly in the areas of public health and road safety. Indeed, road accidents remain one of the leading causes of preventable death and injury globally, with enormous social, economic and human costs. Ensuring safer roads, safer mobility and responsible travel is essential for sustainable development and the well-being of communities.
These are the premises underlying the signing of a Joint Declaration between the United Nations Secretary General's Special Envoy for Road Safety (UN-SERS), the Milano Cortina 2026 Organising Committee, the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI), the Paralympic Committee (CIP), the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry for Sport and Youth, which aims to bring attention to the prevention of road accidents to halve deaths and injuries by 2030. The goal is therefore to promote road safety and raise awareness of safe mobility practices, particularly in the context of mass gatherings, tourism and international events.
The declaration, signed on Monday 1st February in Milan, aims to maximize the global reach, visibility, and impact of road safety initiatives, leaving safer roads, informed communities, and greater international commitment to preventing road accidents and fatalities. In this context, Milano Cortina 2026 was the first Organizing Committee to organize a safe-driving course for 3,000 drivers. Beyond the Games themselves, this stands as a key legacy of Milano Cortina 2026, underpinned by the shared commitment of the Ministries, CONI and CIP to ensure its continuation after the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
Sixty years on from the Bremen tragedy: FIN initiatives honour the victims. Buonfiglio: “We have a duty to honour their example”
- SWIMMING
Italian sport does not forget. Sixty years have passed since the Bremen tragedy, the darkest day in the history of Italian swimming. Time has not dulled the pain; rather, it has fixed the strength of that memory, one to be honoured and entrusted to eternity. Among the 46 victims of the air disaster at Bremen airport—when a Convair Metropolitan flying from Frankfurt crashed during its landing—were members of the Italian national swimming team: Bruno Bianchi (22), Amedeo Chimisso (19), Sergio De Gregorio (19), Carmen Longo (18), Luciana Massenzi (20), Chiaffredo Dino Rora (20) and Daniela Samuele (17). They were travelling with head coach Paolo Costoli (55) and journalist Nico Sapio (36), the RAI voice of Italian swimming on its biggest occasions.
The delegation was en route to the Bremen Meet, the most prestigious event of the winter season, broadcast via Eurovision and featuring athletes from beyond Europe, including competitors from the United States, Australia and Japan.
The tragedy struck deep into the public consciousness. National mourning was declared, and the funerals were attended by Prime Minister Aldo Moro and Defence Minister Giulio Andreotti, alongside thousands of mourners.
To mark the anniversary, the Italian Swimming Federation (FIN) has organised a series of initiatives to honour the memory of the Azzurri.
FIN President Paolo Barelli will commemorate the fallen at the Chamber of Deputies at 1.30pm. All affiliated clubs have been invited to observe a minute’s silence at 6.50pm—the moment of the crash—by suspending all activity in swimming pools, accompanied by a reading in remembrance of the young lives lost.
In Bremen, at 2pm on Nordelander Strasse, where two memorial stones stand to honour the Italian and German victims, a federation delegation led by national team technical director Cesare Butini and multi-medal international champion Luca Dotto will take part in a commemorative ceremony alongside Italy’s Consul General in Hanover, Piero Vaira, representatives of COMITES (the committee of Italians abroad), a member of the local ecclesial community, as well as relatives and citizens.
At the federal centre in Trieste, at 10.30am, Bruno Bianchi—after whom the aquatic centre is named—will be remembered. In Bologna, at the “Carmen Longo” pool, a ceremony at 10.30am will honour the Bologna-born athlete and all those who perished. In Florence, at noon, FIN Vice-President Andrea Pieri, also President of RN Florentia, together with the city’s sports councillor Letizia Perini, Tuscany Region President Eugenio Giani and regional committee president Roberto Bresci, will lay a wreath at the entrance to the Costoli Pool, named after the unforgettable champion and coach. Later in the afternoon, Pieri will again commemorate the fallen during an event at the Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio.
From 8am, Sky will broadcast a 30-minute documentary by Riccardo Re and Silvia Vallini, directed and edited by Flavio Chioda, entitled “The Fatal Coincidence. Italian Swimming in the Skies over Bremen ’66”.
The federation also honours the Azzurri through the Coppa Caduti di Brema, the team championship named in their memory, which since 1981 has been part of the national competitive calendar, bringing together memorial events previously held across the country. FIN also takes part each year in the Nico Sapio Trophy in Genoa, elevated to a qualifying event for the season’s flagship international winter meet.
In 2016, on the 50th anniversary of the tragedy, commemorative plaques were installed at pools named after the victims.
The Azzurri lost in the Bremen tragedy are also remembered with a memorial stone at Rome’s Stadio del Nuoto and at the Memorial Temple of Aquatic and Nautical Sports on the road to Brunate.
CONI President Luciano Buonfiglio has joined the commemorations, underlining their significance. “The memory does not fade; it lives on in the example they gave to the world of swimming and to our entire movement. We have a duty to nurture it with the same passion, enthusiasm and sense of belonging with which they expressed their talent. I am grateful to the Italian Swimming Federation and to President Barelli for the initiatives promoted—a fitting tribute to the memory of those who will live forever in the hearts of the entire sporting family”.
President Mattarella in Milan for three days: La Scala on 2 February for the IOC Session, the Village on the 5th, Casa Italia inauguration and Opening Ceremony on the 6th
- THE INSTITUTIONAL PROGRAMME
President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella will be in Milan on Monday 2 February to attend the opening of the 145th Session of the International Olympic Committee, scheduled to take place at Teatro alla Scala at 7:00 pm. Earlier in the day, the Head of State will meet IOC members in the Alessi Hall at Palazzo Marino for the traditional welcome ceremony.
On Thursday 5 February, President Mattarella will return to Milan in the late morning and visit the Olympic Village, where he will be welcomed by CONI President Luciano Buonfiglio and the Italian Chef de Mission, Carlo Mornati.
Accompanied by his daughter Laura, the President will first sign the Olympic Truce Mural, then address the Italian delegation in the Chefs de Mission Meeting Room. He will subsequently visit the building housing the Italian Team and share lunch with the athletes at the Olympic Village dining hall.
That evening, the President of the Republic will attend the Heads of State Dinner hosted by IOC President Kirsty Coventry, to be held at Fabbrica del Vapore.
On Friday morning, 6 February, President Mattarella, again accompanied by Laura, will cut the ribbon to inaugurate Casa Italia at the Triennale Milano, where he will also visit the exhibition “Muse”, specially curated by CONI in collaboration with the Olympic Museum in Lausanne.
Finally, in the evening, President Mattarella will be at San Siro Stadium, where he will represent the Italian State at the Opening Ceremony of the 25th Olympic Winter Games and, like his predecessors Giovanni Gronchi (1956 Cortina, 1960 Rome) and Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (Turin 2006), will formally declare the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games open.
Italia Team officially confirmed for Milano Cortina 2026: all-time record with 196 athletes
- OLYMPIC GAMES
A total of 196 athletes (103 men and 93 women) will represent Italia Team at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, which will officially get under way on the evening of Friday 6 February with the Opening Ceremony.
Following the selection of 87 athletes (47 men and 40 women) across the five ice sports announced a week ago, a further 109 athletes (56 men and 53 women) from 11 winter disciplines have now been confirmed. Competitions will take place in Anterselva (biathlon), Cortina (bobsleigh, skeleton, luge and women’s alpine skiing), Val di Fiemme (Nordic combined, cross-country skiing and ski jumping), Livigno (freestyle skiing and snowboarding) and Bormio (men’s alpine skiing and ski mountaineering).
This figure surpasses Italy’s previous home-Games record set at Turin 2006 (184 athletes: 109 men and 75 women). It also marks an all-time high for female participation, with women accounting for 47.4% of the delegation — the highest percentage ever, compared with 40.8% at Turin 2006, 39.5% at Beijing 2022, 39.3% at PyeongChang 2018 and 38.9% at Sochi 2014. It is a record within a record, as it also represents the largest delegation ever fielded by each federation.
The youngest member of the Italian team is Giada D’Antonio, a 16-year-old alpine skiing prospect who will turn 17 on 28 May. The most experienced athlete is Roland Fischnaller, aged 45, who will compete in the men’s parallel giant slalom (PGS) in alpine snowboarding and make his seventh consecutive Olympic appearance, the highest number ever achieved by an Italian athlete at the Winter Games.
Only four Italians have more Olympic appearances overall: brothers Piero and Raimondo d’Inzeo (equestrian, 1948–1976), Josefa Idem (canoe sprint, 1984–2012), and Giovanni Pellielo (shooting, 1992–2016, 2024).
Full list of selected Italian athletes (photo Simone Ferraro/CONI)
Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI) - 109 athletes (56 men, 53 women)
BIATHLON (10)
Men (5): Tommaso Giacomel, Lukas Hofer, Patrick Braunhofer, Elia Zeni, Nicola Romanin
Women (5): Dorothea Wierer, Lisa Vittozzi, Rebecca Passler, Michela Carrara, Hannah Auchentaller
BOBSLEIGH (10)
Men (5): Patrick Baumgartner, Robert Gino Mircea, Lorenzo Bilotti, Eric Fantazzini, Alex Verginer
Women (5): Giada Andreutti, Simona De Silvestro, Anna Costella, Alessia Gatti, Noemi Cavalleri
SKELETON (4)
Men (2): Amedeo Bagnis, Mattia Gaspari
Women (2): Valentina Margaglio, Alessandra Fumagalli
LUGE (11)
Men (7): Dominik Fischnaller, Leon Felderer, Alex Gufler, Ivan Nagler, Fabian Malleier, Emanuel Rieder, Simon Kainzwaldner
Women (4): Andrea Voetter, Marion Oberhofer, Verena Hofer, Sandra Robatscher
NORDIC COMBINED (3)
Men (3): Samuel Costa, Alessandro Pittin, Aaron Kostner
CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING (13)
Men (6): Federico Pellegrino, Elia Barp, Davide Graz, Martino Carollo, Simone Mocellini, Simone Daprà
Women (7): Federica Cassol, Caterina Ganz, Iris De Martin Pinter, Maria Gismondi, Martina Di Centa, Nicole Monsorno, Anna Comarella
SKI JUMPING (7)
Men (3): Giovanni Bresadola, Alex Insam, Francesco Cecon
Women (4): Annika Sieff, Martina Zanitzer, Martina Ambrosi, Jessica Malsiner
FREESTYLE (10)
Men (5): Simone Deromedis, Dominik Zuech, Edoardo Zorzi, Federico Tomasoni (ski cross), Miro Tabanelli (big air & slopestyle)
Women (5): Andrea Chesi, Jole Galli (ski cross), Flora Tabanelli, Maria Gasslitter (big air & slopestyle), Manuela Passaretta (moguls & dual moguls)
SNOWBOARD (17)
Men (9): Roland Fischnaller, Aaron March, Maurizio Bormolini, Mirko Felicetti (PGS), Omar Visintin, Lorenzo Sommariva, Filippo Ferrari (cross), Ian Matteoli (big air & slopestyle), Louis Philip Vito III (halfpipe)
Women (8): Lucia Dalmasso, Elisa Caffont, Jasmin Coratti, Sofia Valle (PGS), Michela Moioli, Lisa Francesia Boirai, Sofia Groblechner (cross), Marilù Poluzzi (big air & slopestyle)
ALPINE SKIING (21)
Men (10): Giovanni Franzoni, Dominik Paris, Florian Schieder, Mattia Casse, Christof Innerhofer, Luca De Aliprandini, Alex Vinatzer, Tobias Kastlunger, Tommaso Saccardi, Tommaso Sala
Women (11): Sofia Goggia, Federica Brignone, Nicol Delago, Laura Pirovano, Lara Della Mea, Elena Curtoni, Nadia Delago, Martina Peterlini, Asja Zenere, Anna Trocker, Giada D'Antonio
SKI MOUNTAINEERING (3)
Men (1): Michele Boscacci
Women (2): Alba De Silvestro, Giulia Murada
The Olympic Flame returns to Cortina on the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Winter Games
- THE CELEBRATION
Exactly 70 years after the Opening Ceremony of the 1956 Winter Games, the Olympic Flame returned to Cortina d’Ampezzo, where in eleven days’ time — on Friday 6 February — the 25th edition of the Winter Olympics will begin.
At Largo delle Poste, following a route involving 34 torchbearers (15 in the final segment), Cortina welcomed the cauldron in a celebration open to the entire community. Lighting the flame were three Italian athletes who competed at the 1956 Games: speed skaters Carlo Calzà and Manuela Angeli, and alpine skier Bruno Alberti.
It was a day of celebration for Cortina, during which the official “Anniversary 1956–2026” poster for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games, designed by Italian artist Pierpaolo Rovero, was also unveiled on the stage of the Olympic Flame Relay city celebration.
Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Ministry of Defence to promote Italian sport
- CONI
The Ministry of Defence and the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) have joined forces to promote and enhance Italian sport.
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed today at the Ministry of Defence headquarters, establishing increasingly effective forms of cooperation aimed at spreading sporting culture through the synergistic use of the respective institutional prerogatives.
The Minister of Defence, Guido Crosetto, and the CONI President, Luciano Buonfiglio, formalised an agreement designed to support the competitive programmes of athletes from the Armed Forces’ Sports Groups, grant access to facilities to encourage wider participation in sport, and contribute to the organisation of major sporting events.
“The protocol signed today strengthens a collaboration based on shared values between Sport and Defence — such as sacrifice, discipline, respect and a sense of duty — with the aim of promoting sporting culture and the role of the Military Sports Groups. Our hope is to further reinforce this commitment, particularly in support of so-called ‘minor’ disciplines, which are less commercially lucrative and less visible in the media, yet demand an extremely high level of sacrifice, dedication and resilience” said Minister Crosetto.
“We are proud of this protocol for its significance and for the tangible effects it will deliver, consolidating a relationship that is essential to our success. Never before has the State been so close to CONI. We are harmonising cooperation at every level, fully aware of our role. We consider ourselves partners of the Ministries and of the Government” added CONI President Buonfiglio.
Buonfiglio to serve as a torchbearer for Milano Cortina 2026: “Proud to live this emotion”
- CONI
CONI President Luciano Buonfiglio will serve as a torchbearer for Milano Cortina 2026. The head of the Italian Olympic movement will carry the Olympic flame on the afternoon of 5 February in Milan’s Sant’Ambrogio district, exactly 24 hours before the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games.
Buonfiglio, the first CONI President ever to have been an Olympic athlete, highlighted the significance of the honour: “I am proud to take centre stage in the Torch Relay in the city where I began my sporting career and established myself as a manager. It is an emotion I had already experienced at the Turin 2006 Games, when I also passed the flame to the current Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi. I share this special moment with the movement I have the honour to lead, a movement capable of celebrating the universality of the values we stand for. The five-ring flame symbolises a message whose power will never fade, continuing to promote the strength of sport as a vehicle for peace, inclusion, progress and innovation”.
President Mattarella welcomes a Milano Cortina 2026 delegation: “Hosting the Games is an act of courage and success”
- AT THE QUIRINALE
President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella welcomed at the Quirinal Palace a delegation from the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation, led by President Giovanni Malagò and Chief Executive Officer Andrea Varnier, and comprising the Board of Directors, the Foundation’s founding members, and representatives of the municipalities of Milan and Cortina, the Lombardy Region, the Veneto Region, the Autonomous Province of Trento and the Autonomous Province of Bolzano.
Also in attendance were the President of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI), Luciano Buonfiglio, and the President of the Italian Paralympic Committee (CIP), Marco Giunio De Sanctis.
Following the addresses by President Malagò and the Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi, President Mattarella delivered his remarks to those present.
“I would like to underline the importance of both events, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and to thank the Foundation and all those who, in their various roles and responsibilities, have contributed to this journey. Launching such a project was an act of courage and vision, which has proved to be a concrete and operational path, delivering the success we see today. It was an act of courage because these two events bring prestige to our country and place it at the very centre of the world’s sporting attention”.
Il Presidente della Repubblica Mattarella riceve una delegazione di Milano Cortina 2026
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