MILAN, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Athletes and support staff competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics will be able to rely on a dedicated emergency room and ward at Milan's large Niguarda hospital.
The new units, officially unveiled on Thursday, form part of a designated Olympic medical network set up by the Lombardy region, which will host several venues during the Games starting next week.
They include an Olympic Emergency Room, a 21-bed ward for athletes and support staff, and a central operations hub to process real-time data on medical incidents. The hospital's general Emergency Room was also revamped, as part of the effort.
Niguarda, which specialises in treating severe trauma, handles more than 300 patients a day through its general ER, including about four serious cases, according to a hospital spokesman.
The wider Olympic medical network set up to handle medical situations in Lombardy also includes medical stations near the actual race venues, two polyclinics in the Bormio and Livigno areas - where sports such as alpine skiing and snowboarding will take place, and a hospital in the mountain town of Sondalo.
In the most serious cases, patients can be transported to Niguarda by helicopter.
The Lombardy region invested around 50 million euros ($59.80 million) to boost its medical network ahead of the Games,said Welfare Councillor Guido Bertolaso.
"The facility will be used during the Olympics and will remain available to all Lombardy residents afterward," Bertolaso said at the opening ceremony.
On February 6, Milan will host the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, held jointly with the town of Cortina, in the Veneto region. The Games will run until February 22.
($1 = 0.8362 euros)
(Reporting by Lisa Jucca in MilanEditing by Christian Radnedge)
