IOC boss Kirsty Coventry hails Milano-Cortina Winter Games as a success

MILAN – The Milano-Cortina Olympics exceeded expectations despite a shaky build-up, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Kirsty Coventry said on Feb 20, hailing the first spread-out Winter Games as a success.

“These Games are truly... successful in a new way of doing things, in a sustainable way of doing things, in a way that I think many people thought maybe we couldn’t do, or couldn’t be done well, and it’s been done extremely well, and it’s surpassed everyone’s expectations,” Coventry said at a press conference.

It was the IOC chief’s clearest endorsement yet of a format that split events across several Alpine clusters rather than concentrating them in one host city.

Her assessment was made after two action-packed weeks, in which organisers sought to prove that a geographically dispersed Games could still deliver a consistent athlete experience.

The smooth delivery comes after years of logistical and political challenges, including construction delays to Milan’s Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena and controversy over building a new sliding centre in Cortina against IOC’s advice.

Organisers have also faced isolated disruptions during the Games, such as suspected sabotage on rail lines and protests in Milan over housing and environmental issues.

Transport concerns across the dispersed venues have been mitigated by limited cross-regional travel among spectators, although some competitors had to walk to the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in heavy snowfall that stopped traffic.

Central to the success of the Games, Coventry argued, was the effort to standardise conditions across multiple athlete villages despite the distances separating venues – from Cortina d’Ampezzo to Livigno and Bormio.

Italian athletes’ performances also helped ticket sales, which amounted to about 1.4 million.

“And the athletes are extremely happy. And they’re happy because the experiences that the MiCo (Milano-Cortina) team and my team delivered to them have been the same,” she said.

Mixed relay silver medallist and biathlete Tommaso Giacomel did, however, lament the fact there was no Olympic Village near the Antholz-Anterselva Biathlon Arena and that competitors were dotted around different hotels near the venue instead of in one place.

Two opening ceremonies were held – the main one at Milan’s San Siro Stadium and a more low-key parade on Cortina d’Ampezzo’s Corso Italia, where athletes and spectators were within touching distance.

Feedback from competitors suggested the more intimate settings had in some cases enhanced the Olympic atmosphere, the IOC boss said, taking the Cortina opening ceremony as an example.

Coventry, presiding over her first Games as IOC chief after elections in 2025, framed Milano-Cortina as proof of concept for future hosts grappling with rising costs and climate constraints, while acknowledging adjustments would follow.

“It allows us to really look at ourselves and look at the things that we have in place and how we're then going to make certain adjustments for the future,” she said.

Beyond logistics, Coventry pointed to the broader impact of the Games, highlighting gender balance – with women making up 47 per cent of competitors – and global engagement as marks of progress.

“But it’s been an incredible experience and we’re all very proud to have gender equity playing a big role in the delivery of the Games,” she said, describing a “tremendous Games” in which athletes have “come together and shared in their passion”.

With the closing ceremony in Verona approaching, Coventry said the focus would soon shift to a formal evaluation process, but insisted the headline conclusion was already clear.

“So we look forward to doing that and to learning from all the incredible experiences that I think all of the stakeholders have had across these Games, across these past two weeks,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwean also said she was unaware that Gianni Infantino – president of world football governing body FIFA, as well as an IOC member – had attended the first meeting of the Board of Peace alongside US President Donald Trump.

Infantino announced that his organisation would spearhead a US$75 million (S$95 million) fund to rebuild football facilities destroyed in Gaza during the war between Israel and Hamas. He appeared on stage wearing a red cap with “USA” on the front.

“The IOC Charter is very clear what it expects of its members. We will go and research into the alleged signing of documents,” said Coventry.

The Olympic Charter states that members must “always act independently of commercial and political interests as well as of any racial or religious consideration”. REUTERS, AFP