The widespread model wins: the 2030 Winter Olympics in the same vein

Medals, image, revenue. The legacy of Milan Cortina 2026 is moving along these three interconnected tracks. With 48 hours to go before the closing ceremony of the Winter Games, which will be held on Sunday at the Arena in Verona, and the subsequent handover with the start of the Paralympics (on 6 March), the feeling of enthusiasm on the part of athletes, the public (not only in Italy) and operators in the sector is palpable. This is confirmed by the words spoken yesterday by the president of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Foundation, Giovanni Malagò, interviewed by the editor-in-chief of Sole 24 Ore, Fabio Tamburini, during the conference organised at the State University of Milan entitled 'Olympic and Paralympic Games. Milan-Cortina 2026: the cultural and economic legacy. Beyond the sporting event: the law that protects the strategic investment and the legacy for the territory'.

"The dispersed model that we have adopted for these Winter Olympics is proving to be successful in so many ways. I have also recently discussed it with my French counterpart because precisely, in anticipation of the next Winter Games in 2030, the proposal is to host indoor sports in Nice and on the Côte d'Azur and outdoor sports in the French Alps,' Malagò explained, recalling that only a couple of cities in the world allow for all the facilities needed for winter sports to be located within close proximity, for example Sapporo and Salt Lake City. "Widening the territory involved by the Games is the only viable way for a wide-ranging positive balance that, I believe, will also be evaluated for the summer ones".

Apart from the enormous enthusiasm for the performance of Italy'smedal table (26 medals as of 19 February, ndr), an even more satisfying trend seems to be registered on the economic front. "Surgical and independent reports point to important numbers: 5.3 billion in revenue, 500/600 million in additional revenue, 36 thousand workers and 18 thousand volunteers involved. In addition, the number of tickets sold (over 1.3 million), the impact on the city of Milan (whose GDP, as a whole, marks a +1.7%), the fact that more than two out of three Italians are constantly following the Olympics (Auditel certified data), the large number of young people who followed the live broadcast of the Inauguration Ceremony of the Games,' commented the president of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Foundation, emphasising, as an example of the country's intangible heritage, how much the Valtellina was discovered and appreciated by US tourists on the occasion of these Olympics.

For the former Coni president, the successes of our country's athletes are essentially due to three factors: 'The long work done with the winter and ice sports federations since we were certain that we would be awarded the 2026 Winter Olympics; the investment in the quality of our technicians; the positive wave effect, and not the stress, of playing at home with our own public.

Among the issues of concern to the world of competitive sport in Italy are both the bleak demographic forecast and the situation of sports facilities, especially considering that many infrastructures in Italia need work to adapt to the needs of Paralympic sports. "We are working on this front, to overcome architectural and more strictly social barriers, although there have already been important changes from a cultural point of view. In fact, I hope that the Paralympics will also be followed with enthusiasm and participation'.