Milan-Cortina's 2026 Olympic Games' to rely on existing infrastructure – masterplan features one new venue
by Tom Walker | 28 Jun 2019
Milan-Cortina will host the 2026 Olympic and Paralymic Games
Milan-Cortina, which has been selected to host the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics Games, has revealed the events will aim for a low carbon footprint, with the majority of facilities used being existing.
Milan-Cortina's bid received 47 out of a total of 82 votes cast by IOC members, with rival bid Stockholm-Åre receiving 34 votes, with one abstention.
The bids from Milan and Stockholm were the first to be produced since the publication of the IOC's sustainability policy, Olympic Agenda 2020/The New Norm, which was published in February 2018 with the aim of delivering "substantial benefits to the cities and their projects".
The Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics will rely largely on existing venues.
Out of the 12 competition venues, nine will be existing facilities, while two will be temporary builds.
One new competition venue will be built for ice hockey – an indoor, multi-use arena in the Santa Giulia district of Milan.
It will be built by property companies Risanamento and Lendlease and operated in partnership by Oak View Group and Live Nation.
As well as all the ice hockey games, the city of Milan will also host all skating competition, while alpine skiing events will take place in Cortina d'Ampezzo, 100 miles away.
Some snow sports events will also be held at Bormio and Livigno.
There has been an emphasis on lowering the costs of hosting Olympic events and IOC has conceded that cities should be allowed to use existing infrastructure, rather than always investing in new stadiums and facilities.
This led to the two bid plans for 2026 using 93 per cent existing of temporary venues, compared to 60 per cent among the candidates for the Olympic Winter Games 2018 and 2022.
In addition, the initial Games operating costs projected by Milan and Stockholm – at approximately US$400m – were around 20 per cent lower than those of candidates for the 2022 games.
Speaking after the result was announced, IOC President Thomas Bach said: “With this project aligned with Olympic Agenda 2020, we have seen how we can also lower the complexity of the Games and how the use of existing facilities is facilitating sustainability and legacy goals. In this respect, the candidature of Milan-Cortina stood out, with 93 per cent use of existing or temporary facilities."
Milan-Cortina Oak View Group Live Nation Risanamento Lendlease
Milan-Cortina, which has been selected to host the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics Games, has revealed the events will aim for a low carbon footprint, with the majority of facilities used being existing. Milan-Cortina's bid received 47 out of a total of 82 votes cast by IOC members, with rival bid Stockholm-Åre receiving 34 votes, with one abstention. The bids from Milan and Stockholm were the first to be produced
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