Milan, IOC Begin 2026 Journey

(ATR) An IOC delegation will hold its first major meeting with 2026 Winter Olympic officials in Milan on Thursday.

IOC executives met briefly with Milan-Cortina chiefs soon after the Italian bid defeated Stockholm June 24 to land the 2026 Games.

The IOC tells Around the Rings that Thursday’s meeting will set the tone of a new strategy to work more collaboratively with hosts from the moment the Olympics are won.

"Following the recommendations and measures of Olympic Agenda 2020 and the New Norm, the IOC now starts working with Games hosts from the very early stages of their lifecycle in order to maximise collaboration opportunities," an IOC spokesperson told ATR.

A technical team from the IOC Olympic Games department will be involved in meetings with putative Milan-Cortina organizing committee president Giovanni Malago and his team. It will take a few months for the Italians to transition from a bid company to an OCOG.

Representatives from the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) are also participating.

The IOC says they will discuss initial operational aspects of the seven-year journey.

"The meeting will build on the close partnership with the NOC and the cities established as part of the reformed candidature process 2026," the spokepersonadded.

While Malago will lead the organizing committee, the IOC will be looking for the Italian NOC chief to appoint a committed CEO to drive the OCOG forward and hit the demanding targets set out in the Games preparation timeline. Besides his NOC duties, Malago is also an IOC member.

On Thursday, the IOC delegation will advise Milan-Cortina 2026 on the next steps to shape its organizing committee and Games plans. According to the Host City contract with the IOC, Milan has five months to form the OCOG.

After the summer, the IOC is expected to announce the members of its coordination commission for the 2026 Winter Olympics. IOC member Octavian Morariu, who led the 2026 Evaluation Commission, might be one of the prospective candidates.

Reported by Mark Bisson

25 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.