The road to the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics has been uneven, marked by tight deadlines, unfinished links and logistical strain. Still, International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry says the Games are ready and poised to leave a lasting mark.
Opening the IOC session Monday at Milan’s La Scala opera house, just days before the Olympics begin, Coventry struck a note of confidence despite lingering concerns over venues and transportation.
Taking office in June 2025, the former Olympic champion acknowledged the challenges but said Italy is prepared to deliver.
“It has been a long journey, sometimes a bit bumpy, like every Olympic journey, but it is truly wonderful to be here in Italy,” Coventry said, with Italian President Sergio Mattarella in attendance.
Organizers have raced to finish key venues under intense pressure. The Cortina d’Ampezzo sliding center was built from scratch, while Milan’s Santagiulia ice hockey arena pushed close to its deadline.
Days ago, officials confirmed a cable car meant to ferry spectators to women’s alpine skiing events in Cortina would not be completed in time.
Despite the hiccups, Coventry said Milan and Italy were ready to stage the first Winter Games in the European Alps since Turin in 2006.
“On behalf of the athletes and the entire Olympic community, I want to express my heartfelt thanks,” she said. “You are all essential to making these Games unforgettable.”
The Olympics open February 6 with a ceremony at San Siro Stadium and run through Feb. 23.
For Mattarella, the Games carry weight beyond sport. In a world marked by conflict and division, he said the Olympics remain a symbol of dialogue and unity.
“Sport stands in opposition to a world dominated by barriers and a lack of dialogue,” Mattarella said, calling for the Olympic truce to be respected worldwide.
If competition promises drama on the slopes and ice, the toughest test may come off the field. It will involve moving hundreds of thousands of athletes, officials and spectators across northern Italy.
Spread across seven sites, Milano-Cortina will be the most geographically dispersed Olympics ever.
Italian authorities argue the layout reduces environmental impact. But experts warn it raises serious transportation challenges.
“The more fragmented the venue layout, the more complex the mobility demands, especially for spectators, who generate the largest transportation volumes,” said Robert Steiger, a tourism and climate expert at the University of Innsbruck.
Rail officials concede the challenge. Andrea Gibelli, head of a regional branch of Italy’s state railways, said the goal is to offer a service that can rival private cars. It is no small task.
“With these spread-out Olympic Games, the first instinct is to say, ‘I’ll go by car,’” he said.
Spectators are being urged to use trains, park outside sensitive areas and rely on shuttle services, said Olympic transport director Andrea Scrocco.
Milan will boost subway, train and bus services, including overnight operations. Reaching mountain venues, however, will be harder. Unlike Beijing 2022, there is no dedicated high-speed Olympic rail network.
A fan flying into Venice for alpine skiing in Cortina faces a maze of connections. It starts with a bus to the station, followed by a regional train, another bus, a walk to the lift and then another walk to the slopes. With the cable car unfinished, cars will often remain faster, despite traffic risks, restricted access and reservation-only parking.
Uber, an official partner, expects demand to double in Olympic zones.
Italy has pledged 3.5 billion euros ($4.1 billion) in infrastructure spending tied to the Games, with Transport Minister Matteo Salvini inaugurating new projects almost weekly. But many legacy works will arrive late.
As of Jan. 22, just 40 of 95 planned projects had been completed, according to Olympic delivery agency Simico. Key tunnels and bridges remain unfinished, including a 1.5-kilometer tunnel near Longarone that has only just gone to tender. A new bridge linking Milan to the Bormio-Livigno hub opened in mid-January, but with only one of two lanes operational.
Even Switzerland has raised concerns, with the canton of Graubünden seeking compensation from Lombardy for managing traffic and parking flows into Italy.
Coventry has acknowledged the trade-offs.
“I believe we made the right decision in opting for a more dispersed Games,” she said. “But that has also created additional complexities.”
