MILAN – Milano Cortina 2026 has been dubbed the most geographically widespread Winter Olympic Games in history, spanning 8,500 square miles, and Italy and organizers are expecting over 3,500 athletes from more than 90 national Olympic committees.
Running from Friday to Feb. 22, the event will encompass eight sports across 16 Olympic disciplines, with 195 medals to be awarded over 15 competition venues. The Paralympics will run March 6 to 15. The closing ceremony for the Olympics and opening ceremony for the Paralympics will both be held at the Arena di Verona, a two-hour drive from Milan.
The 2026 Milano Cortina Games mark the third time Italy hosts the Winter Olympics after the 2006 edition in Turin and the 1956 Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
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No wonder expectations are high and several fashion brands are busy planning events during and around the Games. Also, in a quest to secure a considerable return in terms of image, partners will include the likes of Emporio Armani’s EA7 line, Salomon, Omega, P&G, Alibaba, Coca Cola and Samsung, to name a few. Kiko Milano, Technogym and Salesforce are also sponsors of the Games.
Organizers have been touting the varied territory across the events, from Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo to the town of Bormio with its Roman-era baths; Livigno, a ski resort and base of the Stelvio National Park, home to ermine, eagles and ibex, and Antholz, in South Tyrol, within the Rieserferner-Ahrn Nature Park, where German is widely spoken.
Friday’s opening ceremony at Milan’s San Siro stadium is titled “Armonia,” and Marco Balich, creative lead of the opening ceremony and chairman of Balich Wonder Studio, explained that harmony “is the ability to transform our values into sounds and emotions. It is a journey into the true colors of Italy — its art, its creativity, its humanity. But ‘Armonia’ does not speak only to Italy, it speaks to the whole world, celebrating sports and offering a fitting moment of inclusion and encounter.”
With Milano Cortina, “we want to offer Italian style with the power of emotions.”
As reported, Mariah Carey has been revealed as one of the performers at the opening ceremony, alongside Italian stars such as Laura Pausini and Andrea Bocelli. The event will also feature a tribute to the late Giorgio Armani.
Design, food and entertainment are embedded in the Italian lifestyle and the Games are another source of inspiration. Cue the Pasta alla Crudaiola, created by Michelin star chef Carlo Cracco especially for Milano Cortina, featuring limited-edition Olympic rings pasta.
At the Armani Hotel in the same building that houses the Emporio Armani store, the menus at the Armani/Ristorante and Bamboo Bar will include a selection of themed cocktails, a dessert and breakfast dishes. The Bamboo Bar will also broadcast Olympic events.
Carlo Capasa, president of Italy’s Camera della Moda, said the Games “are bringing a high level of international attention to Milan. The Olympic spirit is closely linked to fashion and its creative languages. It reflects values such as inclusion and sustainability, which we believe are deeply ingrained within our industry. This connection can be seen in the ties our brands have with the sport community, starting with Armani, which dresses the Italian national team.”
EA7 Emporio Armani is a partner of the Milano Cortina Foundation and the official outfitter of the Italian team, as well as the eyewear partner of the event.
“Our partnership with the Italian Olympic National Team is the natural expression of Armani’s long-standing commitment to sport, elegance and national pride,” said Giuseppe Marsocci, chief executive officer of the Armani Group. “The Olympics represent values that are deeply aligned with our brand — discipline, excellence, and the pursuit of beauty through performance. For us, this sponsorship is not simply about visibility; it is a strategic choice that reinforces our positioning at the intersection of style, culture and athletic achievement. It allows us to connect with a global audience in a meaningful, emotional way while celebrating Italian identity on an international stage. This is why we have been supporting the Italian Olympic team since London 2012 in both its summer and winter editions.”
The partnership, Marsocci continued, also represents “a significant and highly strategic commitment for the group. The winter and mountain categories are increasingly important: clients today expect technical performance without compromising style, and this sponsorship allows us to highlight the innovation and sophistication of our EA7 collections.”
At the Emporio Armani store in Via Manzoni, during the city’s Men’s Fashion Week in January, the brand held an event to unveil the new ad campaign fronted by Alpine skier and ambassador Sofia Goggia, a two-time Olympic downhill medalist and four-time World Cup downhill title winner.
Window displays and two temporary pop-ups inside the store will be set up until Feb. 16.
More brand projects are planned around Milan. In a dedicated area of the Triennale museum, installations and multimedia content will illustrate the evolution of the collaboration between the EA7 brand and the Italian team, which began in 2012, while Casa EA7 will be set up in Piazza Duca d’Aosta, in front of Milan’s main Centrale railway station. There, visitors will be able to rewatch highlights from the previous day’s competitions and the venue will become a hub for sports conversations, featuring video content and podcasts with athletes, coaches and special guests.
Ralph Lauren, the official outfitter of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams since 2008, organized in Milan a multiday event, when every member of Team USA underwent personalized fittings with the brand’s tailors and stylists for their opening and closing ceremony parade uniforms. Over 20 Ralph Lauren tailors and stylists from around the world traveled to the Winter Games to ensure the uniforms are custom-fit, ensuring every athlete looks and feels their best.
The brand will outfit over 1,000 people, including about 300 Team USA athletes across the Olympics and Paralympics and about 780 staff, coaches, trainers and more for Milano Cortina.
For the first time in history, the cauldrons, among the most meaningful symbols of the Games, will be lit and extinguished in synchrony in two different cities, in Milan at the Arco della Pace, a landmark triumphal arch of peace, and in Cortina, in its main central square, Piazza Dibona. The cauldrons were created in partnership with Fincantieri and designed by Balich in a tribute to Leonardo da Vinci and his knots patterns. They are made of aeronautical aluminum.
The lighting on Friday will mark the conclusion of the Olympic flame’s journey, after 63 days across Italy passing through 60 cities and across 110 provinces.
The Olympic torches, named “Essential,” were designed by Carlo Ratti Associati, the architectural studio of famed Italian architect and urban planner Carlo Ratti, who is also the curator of the 2025 Venice Biennale of Architecture running May 10 to Nov. 23.
Among the torchbearers were fashion notables such as Gildo Zegna and Renzo Rosso — and, as the hit Crave series “Heated Rivalry” continues to gain fans worldwide, its stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie also participated in carrying the torch.
“Carrying the Olympic torch through the Biella area, a place very close to my heart, was an incredibly moving and proud moment for me. It was a powerful symbol linking past, present and future, rooted in international openness, Olympic values, and our bond with the local community,” said Zegna, executive chairman of the Ermenegildo Zegna Group, who carried the torch on Jan. 13 in Biella, near the headquarters of the family group.
“Sport has always been central to my life, and I strongly believe in its role in shaping young people and in encouraging a healthy, active lifestyle at every age,” concluded the executive, who has spearheaded the Oasi Zegna Ski Racing Center, which stems from his lifelong passion.
The Chinese Ski Association selected the center to prepare for the Olympics. Dedicated to competitive Alpine skiing, the center is located in Bielmonte, within the Oasi Zegna in the Biella Alps and is an official training center for FISI [Federazione Italiana Sport Invernali].
“Being a torchbearer for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games was a new and beautiful experience, different from all the others, meant to be shared with people,” said Rosso, founder and chairman of the OTB Group, which comprises brands ranging from Diesel to Jil Sander, among others. “The enthusiasm across the city of Vicenza and the incredible participation made this moment truly special, full of energy and positive adrenaline.” Rosso is the owner of the L.R. Vicenza soccer team, the town near the OTB headquarters in northern Italy.
“We understood from the very start that what’s important isn’t the torch, but the flame,” said Ratti of the sleek and elongated shape of the torch. “So we started to think how we could avoid designing the torch in a way, and emphasize the power and beauty of the flame instead.”
Also, Ratti said that much work was done “on the finishings, to get something mirrored that can capture the environment around it. The effect of the torch changes based on where the flame is passing through, whether the mountains or crowds of people around it.”
Of course, the Games and its events are top of mind, but the Olympics also create a significant business opportunity for Italian brands given the number of visitors expected.
“Such an event has a direct impact also on fashion and our business,” said Lorenzo Boglione, CEO of BasicNet.
“Through the network of our Kappa, K-Way and Sebago sales points we are ready to welcome tourists in Cortina, Livigno and Bormio, as well as in Milan, which will be one of the main poles of interest during the Games,” added his brother and also CEO of the group, Alessandro.
