Winter Olympics 2026: All you need to know about Milan-Cortina Games

Milan and Cortina were selected as host cities in 2019 and while existing facilities have largely been used, new venues have been created for ice hockey and the sliding sports.

A year out from the Games starting, the Cortina Sliding Centre – rebuilt on a century-old track at a cost of more than £72m – was facing a race against time to be ready.

While that race was won, with the opening races of the bobsleigh and skeleton season taking place on the new track in November, the same cannot be said for the Milano Santagiulia ice hockey stadium.

As recently as Sunday, Olympic organisers said the stadium would not be completely finished in time for Thursday’s first match of the Games – but they were “absolutely certain” all scheduled fixtures will be played there.

The 11,800-capacity stadium has been beset by delays and controversies – including a boycott warning from the National Hockey League (NHL).

The rink in Milan, approved by the International Ice Hockey Federation, is shorter than the minimum requirement in the NHL, leading to suggestions there could be an increase in high-speed collisions. The quality of the ice has also been questioned.

From an Olympics controversies perspective, things didn’t get any better for hosts Italy when their biathlete Rebecca Passler was kicked out of the Games because of a failed doping test on Monday.