Preparations for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics are entering a phase of political tensions and symbolic gestures. At the center of discussions is the issue of participation by athletes from Russia and Belarus, which has prompted a firm boycott of the Paralympic opening ceremony by Ukraine. Meanwhile, Milan honors the legend of journalism, Gianni Mura, by opening a sports library in his name, and Mayor Giuseppe Sala plans to place the Olympic cauldron in the prestigious Science Museum.

Ukrainian team boycott

Ukraine boycotted the Paralympic opening ceremony in protest against allowing Russians and Belarusians under a neutral flag.

Gianni Mura Library

A new facility was opened in Milan to house the unique archive of the legendary sports journalist.

Cauldron at the Science Museum

Milan authorities plan to donate the Olympic attribute to the museum as a permanent element of technical cultural heritage.

The timeline of this year's preparations for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympics and Paralympics has been dominated by the debate over the status of athletes from aggressor countries. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) made the controversial decision to allow Russians and Belarusians to compete under a neutral flag, arguing that sport should not be overly politicized. This prompted an immediate reaction from Kyiv; the Ukrainian team announced a boycott of the Winter Paralympic Games opening ceremony. Italian Sports Minister Andrea Abodi called for silencing weapons as a condition for the return of the Russian flag to stadiums, while some athletes, like Giacomo Bertagnolli, support their rivals' right to compete despite the ongoing conflict. Simultaneously, work is underway in Milan to commemorate the Olympic and sporting heritage. Mayor Giuseppe Sala expressed the ambition for the traditional Olympic cauldron to permanently enrich the collections of the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology after the competitions conclude. The city also paid tribute to the late journalist Gianni Mura by opening a sports library, which will house his previously unpublished archive of texts and poetry. In the sports structures, the situation of Giovanni Malagò is stabilizing; he announced he does not plan a political career as mayor of Rome, focusing instead on organizing the Games. The Winter Olympics return to Italy twenty years after the success in Turin. The Milan-Cortina 2026 project is characterized by a distributed structure of venues, aiming to utilize existing infrastructure in the Lombardy and Veneto regions.In the world of club sports, Pierre Kalulu of Juventus addressed his recent red card, cutting off media speculation about a transfer and declaring loyalty to the Turin colors. Meanwhile, among German officials such as Rudi Völler, pragmatism prevails – he considers discussions about boycotting entire tournaments futile, appealing for a focus on competition. The German Paralympic torch has already set off for Italy, symbolically beginning the countdown to the final stage of preparations. „I russi vogliono la bandiera? Facciano tacere le armi” (Do the Russians want the flag? Let them silence the weapons) — Andrea Abodi „Vorrei il braciere olimpico al Museo della Scienza” (I would like the Olympic cauldron at the Science Museum) — Giuseppe Sala

Mentioned People

  • Giuseppe Sala — Mayor of Milan planning the city's Olympic legacy.
  • Andrea Abodi — Italian Sports Minister setting conditions for Russia.
  • Giovanni Malagò — President of CONI and coordinator of Olympic preparations.