Italy To Host Winter Olympics In 2026

The 2026 Winter Olympic Games will be held in Italy, the International Olympic Committee has announced.

The committee’s members elected the northern Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo to host the iconic international sporting event on Monday. Italy beat Sweden’s Stockholm-Åre bid 47 to 34, the IOC stated .

President of the Italian Olympic committee Giovanni Malago said in a news conference Monday that the announcement marked an “emotional” moment in his life.

“It’s a very important result, not only for me but the whole country,” he said.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte echoed Malago’s enthusiasm.

“We are proud of this great achievement!” he tweeted. “Italy has won.”

Italy has hosted the Winter Olympics two other times: in Turin in 2006 and in Cortina in 1956. The IOC will give the European country at least $925 million toward the event, the Associated Press reported .

The 2018 Winter Games were held in PyeongChang, South Korea. The next one will be hosted by Beijing in 2022.