Italy’s achievements at Milano Cortina 2026 are now etched into Olympic history. The official suits worn by Francesca Lollobrigida (speed skating), Arianna Fontana (short track) and Chiara Betti (short track) will become part of the permanent collection of the Olympic Museum in Lausanne (Switzerland), the very heart of global sporting memory.

The three Italian athletes donated their competition suits at the conclusion of a memorable Olympic Games for the Italia Team. Francesca Lollobrigida secured two gold medals (3,000 metres – complete with an Olympic record – and 5,000 metres) in speed skating, excelling with historic performances on the long-track oval of the Milano Ice Park. Arianna Fontana, in addition to being one of the leading figures in the short track events thanks to a trio of medals (gold in the 2,000m mixed relay, silver in the 500 metres and another silver in the 3,000m women’s relay), further enhanced her legendary status by establishing herself (considering both Winter and Summer Games) as the most decorated Italian athlete in history with 14 medals (surpassing the previous record held by Italian fencing icon Edoardo Mangiarotti) and by moving into second place in the all-time Winter Olympic medal table alongside former Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjørndalen and just one shy of former cross-country skier Marit Bjørgen (15), the most decorated Winter Olympian in history, male or female. Chiara Betti, meanwhile, like Fontana, played her part in the achievements of both the mixed and women’s relays, team feats made possible thanks to the performances of all the other members of the squads.

The handover ceremony took place at the Milan Olympic Village in the presence of the Italia Team’s Deputy Chef de Mission, Enzo Bartolomeo, Frédérique Jamolli, Head of International Cultural Development at the International Olympic Committee, and Chiara Betti herself, who attended the ceremony representing her fellow Italian skaters. An institutional moment which formally marked the entry of the Italian memorabilia into the collection of the world’s most prestigious museum dedicated to the Games. With this donation, Francesca Lollobrigida, Arianna Fontana and Chiara Betti symbolically enter the gallery of great champions who have written the pages of Olympic history, leaving a tangible testament to their participation and achievements at Milano Cortina 2026. (agc)