By DANIELLA MATAR and COLLEEN BARRY, Related Press
MILAN (AP) — With 100 days to go till the beginning of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, preparations are going proper right down to the wire.
The ice hockey area that’s set to welcome again NHL players to the Olympics is still not ready and gained’t be examined till lower than a month earlier than the primary puck is dropped on the 2026 Video games.
“There are some issues that we’re paying extra consideration to, monitoring them after which there are others which might be completely utterly prepared,” Milan-Cortina organizing committee president Giovanni Malagò advised journalists outdoors an occasion to have fun the 100-day countdown on Wednesday.
“Being utterly trustworthy I’d say that these 100 days are vital, we’d like them however I don’t suppose that’s any completely different than another large occasion, you all the time see individuals working even hours earlier than the beginning to make sure it meets expectations.”
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An out of doors view of the Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Area, in Milan, the place Ice Hockey self-discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will happen Italy, Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (AP Picture/Luca Bruno)
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An out of doors view of the Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Area, in Milan, the place Ice Hockey self-discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will happen Italy, Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (AP Picture/Luca Bruno)
Readiness of the venues isn’t a brand new concern for the native organizing committee, which rebuilt the century-old sliding observe in Cortina after tangling with the Worldwide Olympic Committee at size over the choice.
The controversial observe is up and working, with the IOC even saying recently that the venue has “surpassed expectations.” It secured preliminary certification in March and take a look at occasions are happening by way of November.
“The sliding heart was a really difficult merchandise in that interval. It’s clear that we revered our guarantees. It was not really easy to acquire the religion from the worldwide group — my colleagues within the IOC, the worldwide federations,” Malagò mentioned.
“They did a unbelievable job and now we wish to meet the identical expectations with Santagiulia.”
Nonetheless, a take a look at occasion on the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Area — the brand new, 16,000-seat venue that’s being constructed on the outskirts of Milan — needed to be moved, and new ones gained’t be till Jan. 9/11.
The primary Olympics match on the predominant hockey area is the ladies’s preliminary spherical competitors on Feb. 5, simply someday earlier than the opening ceremony.
“We’re satisfied that we are going to have a stupendous facility, and we shall be able to do the take a look at occasion the primary week of January, which shall be essential as a result of it has by no means been used,” Milan-Cortina CEO Andrea Varnier mentioned.
“We have to take a look at the ice, which is short-term not everlasting, and in addition the perform of your complete facility, which shall be closely visited.”
There are fewer considerations over different websites because the Milan-Cortina Video games shall be utilizing primarily current venues, with this the primary Olympics to completely embrace cost-cutting reforms put in by former IOC President Thomas Bach.
Meaning that it’ll even be probably the most spread-out Winter Video games in historical past.
However “the credibility of the venues,” Malagò mentioned, compensates for the gap.
“What is key is that the athletes wish to compete in what’s the temple of their very own self-discipline. All these occasions have a acknowledged, first-class ranked venue … for me it was a sensible choice and I feel for the athletes too,” he mentioned.
Ticket gross sales
The 100-day mark launched the ultimate section of ticket gross sales.
Varnier mentioned they’ve exceeded their very own forecasts, promoting greater than 850,000 tickets thus far. “Many periods are bought out,’’ he mentioned. In all, Milan-Cortina organizers are promoting 1.4 million tickets for each the Feb. 6-22 Olympic Video games and for the Paralympics working from March 6-15.
Podium social gathering
Organizers additionally unveiled the 2 podiums for the Winter Olympics and Paralympics, the final of the design objects created for the Milan-Cortina Video games after the medals, torches and posters.
The low-rise podiums are in a deep blue, with graphic components meant to recall snow and ice. Throughout the presentation, the 2 mascots, Tina and Milo, symbolically mounted the podiums.
A pair of stoat — or weasel — siblings, all-white Tina represents the Olympic Winter Video games, whereas Milo, whose coat is brown, is the mascot for the Paralympic Winter Video games.
