Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics - Opening ceremony of the 145th IOC Session - Teatro La Scala, Milan, Italy - February 2, 2026 IOC President Kirsty Coventry during the opening ceremony REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
MILAN, Feb 2 (Reuters) - The preparations for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics were at times bumpy but the Games will prove to be unforgettable for athletes and spectators, International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry said on Monday.
Speaking at the opening of the IOC session at La Scala opera house in central Milan four days before the start of the Olympics, Coventry, who took over as president in June 2025, said the Games were ready to begin.
"It has been a long journey – sometimes a bit bumpy, like every Olympic journey – but it is truly wonderful to be here in Italy," Coventry said, with the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, in attendance.
Organisers have been racing against the clock to complete several venues that had been on an extremely tight deadline since the start of preparations, including the Cortina d'Ampezzo sliding centre, which had to be builtfrom scratch, and the Santagiulia ice hockey venue in Milan.
Days ago it was revealed that a cable car intended to carry spectators to the women's Olympic Alpine skiing in Cortina would not be ready on time.
Coventry said despite any hiccups in the preparations, Milan and Italy were ready to deliver. It is the first time in 20 years -- since the 2006 Torino Olympics -- that the Winter Games return to the European Alps.
"On behalf of the athletes and the entire Olympic community I want to express my heartfelt thanks (to Italy). You are all essential to making these Games unforgettable," Coventry said.
The Olympics will kick off with an opening ceremony at the San Siro football stadium on February 6. The Games run to February 23.
For Italian President Mattarella the Games were a chance to counter a world that is currently in turmoil.
"It is a major global event that resonates deeply in a world facing profound difficulties," Mattarella said. "(Sport) stands in opposition to a world dominated by barriers and lack of dialogue. We call for the Olympic truce to be respected everywhere."
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann)
