With just weeks to go before the Olympic flame lights up northern Italy, organisers of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics say the Games are gathering pace – at the box office, on the ground and across the country.
Nearly 70% of tickets for the Feb. 6-22 Games have already been sold, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Wednesday, with officials banking on the ongoing torch relay to drive a late surge, particularly for the Paralympics.
About 1.4 million tickets are available for the Olympics, with close to one million already snapped up.
Another 255,000 tickets have been issued for the Paralympic Games, scheduled for March 6-15, though organisers acknowledged sales there are lagging behind.
“We are close to 70% at this stage,” IOC Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi told reporters after an IOC executive board meeting. “Paralympic ticket sales are always a little harder. We are trailing there, and we hope the torch relay will help.”
The relay began last week, carrying the Olympic flame across Italy in a bid to ignite nationwide excitement ahead of what will be the most geographically spread-out Winter Games in history.
Competition will stretch from Milan, the financial capital of Italy, to Cortina d’Ampezzo, the glamorous Dolomite resort more than 400 kilometers (250 miles) away by road.
Events will also be staged in three additional mountain clusters, while the closing ceremony will take place in Verona, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) east of Milan.
With 16 sports on the program and 116 gold medals at stake, the schedule is already marked by several marquee dates.
Competition begins Feb. 4 with curling, followed by the opening ceremony on Feb. 6 and the first gold medals on Feb. 7.
Highlights include women’s Alpine downhill on Feb. 8, men’s figure skating on Feb. 13, women’s slalom on Feb. 18, and a packed Feb. 19 featuring women’s figure skating, the women’s ice hockey final and the first Olympic medals in ski mountaineering.
The men’s ice hockey gold medal game and closing ceremony cap the Games on Feb. 22.
Broadcasts will reach audiences worldwide, though time zones will shape coverage.
In the United States, where Eastern time trails Italy by six hours, NBC plans to air showcase events in primetime while streaming full coverage on Peacock.
Star power will be plentiful. Alpine skiing legends Lindsey Vonn, 41, and Mikaela Shiffrin have opened the World Cup season in dominant form, fueling American medal hopes in Cortina.
Freestyle standout Eileen Gu and snowboarding icon Chloe Kim are also back, while the return of NHL players to Olympic ice for the first time since 2014 brings added intrigue, with Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid among the names to watch.
Behind the scenes, organisers remain under pressure to complete and test venues.
The ice hockey arena in Milan has drawn attention after reports that its rink is slightly shorter than NHL standards. The IOC said the issue has been settled, with all stakeholders – including the NHL, players and international federation – agreeing on the dimensions.
A test event originally scheduled for this month has been moved to early January and will now include spectators.
“We are 58 days away and the Games are just around the corner,” IOC President Kirsty Coventry said. “We are very impressed with what we are seeing and hearing, but we need to keep our finger on the pulse.”
Among key storylines still unfolding: whether Russian athletes will be allowed to compete as neutrals in certain sports.
Any participation would require clearance through an independent review to confirm athletes have not publicly supported the war in Ukraine or have ties to Russia’s military or security forces.
Milano-Cortina will also introduce several Olympic firsts.
Ski mountaineering makes its debut, while skeleton adds a mixed team event.
Luge expands with women’s doubles, and large hill ski jumping introduces super team competitions for both men and women.
