+ Arenas
"Milano Cortina 2026" is the official name of next year's Olympic Games, but many more classic winter sports resorts will host the competitions in northern Italy. Cross-country skiers, for example, will be based in Val di Fiemme, and biathletes will compete in Antholz. The alpine events will be decided in both Cortina d'Ampezzo and Bormio, while Livigno is responsible for the freestyle events.
The Olympic Games will therefore be a logistical challenge for both spectators and media on site. The long distances between the competition venues also mean that many athletes will not live in any of the Olympic villages in Milano and Cortina.
And when the 25th Winter Games are finally concluded on February 22, the closing ceremony will take place in an amphitheater in Verona, a city that does not host any competitions.
+ The Question Mark
The competitions in bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton are planned to take place in Cortina. But so far, there is no track – and time is running out. The forest has been cleared for the 1,445-meter-long track, and the track has been criticized by everyone from environmental organizations to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Workers are working around the clock to complete the track, reported Dagens Nyheter, when they recently visited the billion-dollar construction project that has become a debated prestige issue for both organizers and politicians in Italy.
The deadline for having the track ready for test runs is in March, but it may be postponed until April. Otherwise, there is a backup plan to hold the sliding events at the Olympic Games in Lake Placid, USA instead.
+ The Swedes
The Olympic Games in Beijing were a blue and yellow success story, and with eight gold, five silver, and five bronze medals, Sweden achieved its best Winter Olympic Games ever.
Double gold medalist Nils van der Poel (now Svensson) then put his skates on the shelf. But a whole gang of medalists – from Walter Wallberg, Sara Hector, and Sandra Näslund to biathletes, cross-country skiers, and curlers – will likely want to fight for new medals next year as well. But it will require something extraordinary to surpass the medal record from 2022.
+ The Russians
In the Olympic Games in Paris last summer, individual athletes from Russia and Belarus were allowed to participate under a neutral flag – but no teams were allowed. What will happen in Milano Cortina remains to be seen. But earlier this week, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced that it does not want to allow Russian and Belarusian teams next season. If the IOC, as usual, follows the individual federations' wishes, it means that Russia will not participate when NHL pros are included in the men's hockey tournament for the first time since Sochi 2014.
+ The Tickets
Sales start now in February, where people who have previously registered have priority to buy tickets. In April, the general sale of remaining tickets will then open. The Olympic organization has announced that 20 percent of the tickets will cost less than 40 euros (approximately 450 kronor) and more than half will cost under 100 euros (approximately 1,150 kronor).
The most expensive tickets are to the men's hockey final in Milano, with prices from around 5,000 kronor and upwards, writes the website Inside the Games.
