How Italy will pull off the Olympics in two cities more than 250 miles apart

MILAN - For the first time in the history of the Olympics, the 2026 Winter Games will be hosted by two cities - Milan and Cortina. The two cities in Italy, separated by more than 250 miles, are seemingly diametrically opposed. Milan, the country's second biggest city, is the metropolitan hub of northern Italy and one of the fashion capitals of the world. Cortina d'Ampezzo, on the other hand, is a ski destination nestled in the Dolomites. Together, they’ll team up to provide the infrastructure needed to pull off the Winter Olympic Games. Despite the logistical challenge of pulling off an Olympics in two different locales, organizers hope the Milan Cortina Games will also provide a seamless viewing experience. “It’s so exciting, this moment,” Andrea Varnier, the CEO of the Milan Cortina organizing committee, told NBC News. “There’s a lot of challenges every day, a new one, of course. But we are getting there, and we are also getting excited.” Among Varnier’s challenges? Pulling off a simultaneous cauldron lighting 250 miles apart. A flashpoint moment of the opening ceremonies on Feb. 6, one cauldron will be lit in Milan’s Arco della Pace, and the other in Cortina’s Piazza Angelo Dibona. There will also be multiple parades, allowing athletes competing in Milan and Cortina, as well as those in Predazzo and Livigno, to all participate in the opening festivities. “That would be a very interesting experiment that we’re doing,” Varnier said. “With this concept of our games so widespread, it’s almost impossible to bring athletes from the mountains to the city for the ceremony.” Varnier added that because the 2026 Games have two host cities for the first time, he considered it an “obligation” to have multiple parades. That means countries may have multiple flag-bearers walking at the same time but, on the opening ceremony, through some television magic, it should look like everyone is marching together. Another hurdle for Varnier and Italy was, as he put it, adapting the Games to the territories as opposed to adapting the territories to the Games. The Milan Cortina organizing committee emphasized sustainability when constructing venues, for example. According to Varnier, 11 of the 13 venues that will be used for competition were either renovated from existing infrastructure or are temporary - including the first-ever temporary ice rink for speed skating. Only two new venues had to be constructed, which has been an issue for the Olympics in the past. And Varnier says there will be “no risk” of the new venues not being used after the Games. (Even the housing built for athletes in the Olympic village will be used by students in future years.) With only 100 days to go until the opening ceremony, there is still much to be accomplished, including putting the finishing touches on venue construction, finalizing the details of the opening and closing ceremonies, signing the Olympic truce and the Olympic torch tour. When the Games are ultimately over, Varnier hopes there will be a lasting impact. “We...

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