Key Takeaways:
- The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics will feature a decentralized model with six different athletes’ villages across Northern Italy.
- The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) will send six moose statues to the different villages to promote team unity.
- The Games will pose logistical challenges, including travel between clusters and limited access to medical and support staff.
- The COC will use creative approaches, such as pop-up Canada Olympic Houses and internal communication platforms, to support athletes and promote team unity.
- The decentralized model is part of the IOC’s sustainable approach to hosting the Olympics, which aims to reduce costs and minimize new construction.
Introduction to the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics
The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are set to be the most geographically widespread Olympics in history, with events taking place in 16 winter sports across 22,000 square kilometers of Northern Italy. The Games will feature a decentralized model, with six different athletes’ villages in Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Bormio, Livigno, Predazzo, and Anterselva. This poses significant logistical challenges for teams, including Canada, which will have over 200 Olympians competing in the Games.
The Canadian Olympic Committee’s Approach
The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) has a tradition of sending a life-sized moose statue to the athletes’ village at each Olympic Games. This year, they will send six moose statues to the different villages to promote team unity and make sure every athlete feels connected to Team Canada. The COC will also use creative approaches, such as pop-up Canada Olympic Houses and internal communication platforms, to support athletes and promote team unity. According to Marie-Andree Lessard, senior director of games for the COC, "We want to make sure everyone feels the love of the moose."
Logistical Challenges
The decentralized model poses significant logistical challenges, including travel between clusters and limited access to medical and support staff. Traveling between the clusters could take more than a few hours by car, bus, or train, and is not advised, especially as many of the mountain towns are accessed by small, remote wintery roads. The COC has dispersed medical and support staff across the clusters, and has shipped 10 containers of equipment and supplies to Italy, which must then be delivered to the various clusters.
Athlete Experience
The decentralized model will also affect the athlete experience, with some athletes competing in remote locations with limited access to amenities and support staff. For example, the Canadian curling team will be staying in a mobile village in Cortina, which they have dubbed "glamping." While they are excited to have a unique experience, they also acknowledge that it will be different from previous Olympics. According to curler Marc Kennedy, "Our Olympic experience is going to come in handy. We’ve been there before, so we don’t have that same urge to be in the opening or closing ceremonies, or need the full village experience."
Sustainability and the Future of the Olympics
The decentralized model is part of the IOC’s sustainable approach to hosting the Olympics, which aims to reduce costs and minimize new construction. The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics will feature existing iconic alpine ski venues, as well as new purpose-built venues, such as the ski cross venue in Livigno. The IOC’s sustainable approach is here to stay, and the learnings from these Games will be applied to future Olympics, including the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps. According to Lessard, "The good news about this, is that’s also what we’ll anticipate for the next Winter Games in the French Alps."