Setting a New Benchmark

International Olympic Committee news

The Olympic atmosphere always provides something different compared with other sporting events. Athletes often say that the Olympic experience is one that will be unique from any other they go through across their career, and spectators know how special the Olympic Games are.

Our role at the IOC Coordination Commission for the XXV Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 is to support the Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (OCOG) as much as we can to help their vision come to life. Every organiser is different, but each of them adapts their strategies alongside the IOC framework when putting together their edition of the Games.

I was part of the evaluation commission when the Games were awarded to Milano Cortina back in 2019. From the start, Milano Cortina 2026 has had a very strong awareness of Olympic Agenda 2020 and how to create Games that are suited for the future within their context.

Once a host has been selected, the OCOG makes an agreement with the IOC about the specifications of the upcoming Games in the form of a host contract. We support them in fulfilling that contract and allow them to put their own unique mark on the Games. These Winter Games were awarded just before the launch of Olympic Agenda 2020+5, and Milano Cortina 2026 is very much aligning with its objectives as well.

Sustainability will, of course, be a major focus. A large part of their concept is to use the venues that they already have and not to build any new ones that don’t have a legacy prospect to them.

This is all just part of being a more sustainable organiser compared with the past when it was more common to build a lot of new venues and not know exactly how much they were going to be used after the Games.

The OCOG had the great opportunity to send a large delegation to Paris 2024. There is, of course, a difference between Winter and Summer Games, but there are many takeaways from Paris which can be transformed and applied to Milano Cortina’s concept. Paris 2024 was really good at finding solutions to sustainability issues, doing things that had never been done before. Naturally, Milano Cortina will implement according to the context of their project, but as we move from the planning phase into the operational phase, the learnings on different topics and issues from previous Games will be really helpful.

This is, to me, one of the beauties of the Olympic Movement – the way the Games are set up, each edition will have something to offer the next, be it winter or summer. We already know that the 2030 Olympic Winter Games will be in the French Alps, and they will probably look at Milano Cortina 2026 and hopefully be able to learn a lot.

I think that spectators will be treated to an amazing event, too.

A lot of the disciplines will have areas dedicated to the fan experience, and the OCOG knows that it will be a unique challenge compared with simply being in one big city. We are very aware that at every venue we need to create that Olympic atmosphere. For the fans at home, they can expect it to be much like Paris, with technology, broadcasting and social media tying the Games together online.

I really hope that these Games will be something that the Italian population can remember with fondness. I know from having experienced a home Games, at

Lillehammer 1994, that it’s still very much part of our identity, who we are, what we are. If you ask any Norwegian on the street of a certain age about their proudest moments, the chances are that they’ll mention the Lillehammer Games. And I really hope that future Games organisers will create that same feeling, because I think it means a lot for a nation and for the development of sport.

For the future of the Winter Games, Milano Cortina 2026 will surely be a benchmark for how we can do it.

Kristin Kloster is a lawyer and experienced sports administrator. She served as President of the Norwegian Equestrian Federation for 10 years (2003-2012) and a Vice-President of the Norwegian NOC (2011-2019). Since joining the IOC, Kloster has served on several commissions including as Chair of the Future Host Commission for the Games of the Olympiad (2019-2021) and as a member of the Olympic Solidarity and Sustainability and Legacy Commissions.