Final preparations are taking place for the upcoming Italian Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina.

On 6 February 2026, the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 will take place at Milan’s iconic San Siro Olympic Stadium.

Nearly 3,000 athletes from around the world will compete as the games return to Italy, 20 years after Torino 2006, and seventy years after Cortina 1956.

In the southern part of Milan, near the Porta Romana, sits the Milanese Olympic Village.

Not quite a shell, but not yet near full completion.

Developer COIMA said the conversion to a 1,700-bed student accommodation scheme will be completed in just four months, ensuring it is ready for the 2026-27 academic year.

But come February, these seven-story residential blocks will be home to 1,700 Olympians from 50 international delegations.

There are six villages in total for the 2026 Winter Games: Milan, Cortina, Bormio, Livigno, Predazzo and Anterselva.

They will all contain 24-hour fitness centers, self-service laundries and prayer rooms.

“We are on time to guarantee that all the spaces, the activities and operations will be ready for the arrival of the athletes,” explained Flaminia Tamburi, the village management chief.

The importance of the athletes’ village experience is paramount for the organizers.

“I think the biggest challenge here is to guarantee that they can feel home away from home because they will stay here for more than two weeks,” said Tamburi.

To the west of the city is the Milano Speed Skating Stadium, built within the pavilions of the Fiera Milano Rho exhibition complex.

Here, top skaters will go head-to-head, but right now the work continues on the track.

Cutting and drilling fill the otherwise silent space as workers finish the speed skating track before the ice arrives.

AP video shot by Jez Fielder