The IOC’s 134th session was launched in Lausanne on June 24, and the committee members were to announce the capital of the Winter Olympics 2026 first. Two joint applications for holding the main sporting event of the four years: Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo and Stockholm-Aure.

As a result of voting, the Italian bid won. IOC President Thomas Bach personally voiced the results, and a 10-year-old skater boy from Lausanne handed over an envelope with the results.

The result was disappointing for the Swedish representatives. On their side were 34 delegates from 82, while 47 people supported the Italians. Another delegate abstained.

Even the speech of Stockholm Mayor Anne Koenig Yerlmyur, who sang a song by ABBA Dancing Queen after the final presentation of the application, did not help the Scandinavians to win, although, according to those present, the event significantly revived the event.

In turn, Bach, congratulating the winners, expressed confidence that Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo will hold outstanding Olympic Games.

“The emotions and knowledge of Italian fans, along with the experience of the organizers, will create the perfect atmosphere for athletes from around the world. Games will be held in beautiful scenic spots. At the same time, the sights of the modern European metropolis will be complemented by the beauty of the Alpine nature, ”Bach noted.

The functionary also assured that the cost of the OI-2026 will decrease compared to the previous Games, as well as the complexity of the organization.

“The entire infrastructure will serve the long-term goals of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. Expect a significant reduction in the Games budget. In addition, already constructed and temporary sports facilities will be mainly used. I also want to thank Stockholm and Ore for putting forward an excellent candidate, ”added Bach.

The rich experience and support of the Italians

The Italian experience probably won the vote in the Italian application, as Cortino d'Ampezzo is also a famous ski resort. It was here that the Olympic Games were to be held in 1944, but because of the Second World War, they passed only 12 years later.

Also, the city has repeatedly hosted the world championships in ski sports, alpine skiing, bobsled and skeleton.

Thus, most of the sports infrastructure here is ready. The IOC made a special emphasis on the fact that 13 of the 14 facilities that are planning to use in OI-2026, will either be existing or temporary.

At the same time, the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games can be held at the new stadium, which will be built on the site of the famous San Siro Arena. The local football clubs “Inter” and “Milan” have already confirmed that the stadium will be ready by 2022.

The IOC stressed that the Italian application received full support at home: both from residents of the country and from the authorities. At the same time, Italy hosted the Winter Olympics relatively recently. In 2006, Turin received a similar honor.

Referenda and problems with transport

The application process for the Olympic Games started in March 2017 and ended in September. Unfortunately for the IOC, a large number of cities eventually refused to host a grand sporting event.

And in several cases, such a decision was made based on the results of the referendum. For example, in Innsbruck, 53.5% of the citizens were against the Games. Similarly, residents of the Swiss canton of Valais voted, although the Swiss authorities were ready to allocate $ 1 billion to the main sports tournament of the four-year period.

And in November 2018, the Canadian Calgary withdrew its application. The city authorities have done everything to ensure that people speak for the OI-2026, but 56.4% of respondents were against it.

“We did everything we could. We knew that we had very little time. With great difficulty, have made the adoption of the budget. We lacked a bit. But I still believe in this city. We need to take the experience and move on, ”says Sportsnet.ca of the words of the director general of the Calgary 2026 organizing committee, Mary Moran.

For other reasons, Graz, Sapporo and Erzurum came out of the fight. In Austria, the project did not support the government of the federal state of Styria, the capital of which is the city. The Japanese focused on the struggle for the next winter Olympics due to the earthquake on Hokkaido Island.

Finally, the Turkish application was rejected by the IOC because of possible transport problems, although the authorities of Erzurum were ready to agree on holding part of the competition in Sochi.

Thus, the applications of Stockholm-Aure and Milan-Cortina-d'Ampezzo remained the only ones. By the way, already in April of this year, the IOC, according to media reports, initiated a poll in these cities regarding the holding of the Olympic Games there and received generally positive results.

In Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, 87% did participate in organizing the Games, while in Stockholm and Åre - 55%.

At the same time, not only a part of residents, but also representatives of the city council, who formed a special coalition, spoke out against the Games in the capital of Sweden.

“According to our agreement, the Olympic Games should not be sponsored by taxpayers and influence the environment. We are faced with various other tasks that need to be accomplished, ”said Center Party member Karin Ernlund.