Latest news with #AndreaVarnier
NBC Sports
21-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Andrea Varnier, 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games CEO, talks prep plans 200 days out
Andrea Varnier, the Milan Cortina 2026 Chief Executive Officer, spoke with about preparations for the Games, which open in 200 days. This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. OlympicTalk: The Olympic and Paralympic medal designs have been revealed. In recent Games, we've seen some complex medal designs, including the Torino 2006 medals, which had the hollow center to represent the Italian piazza. The 2026 medals were described as minimalist on the Milan Cortina website. Why is it that you have gone with this type of design for the medals and not as complex as others? Varnier: That's part of our overall design strategy. It's also in line with our torch design. We studied a lot what was done in the past. Of course, we have the Torino heritage. So, how can you go more extreme than a medal with a hole in the middle? So at one point we said that we're looking to make a different type of statement: a statement about essentiality, about sustainability. And there's references about Italian avant-garde of the 1900s that were actually born in Milan. There's two faces, two parts of the medals, telling a lot of stories, like mountain and city, athletes and everybody that's around the athletes. With the rings in the middle and the Agitos in the middle for the Paralympics, we think it's a very strong statement. OlympicTalk: What are the biggest challenges or areas of focus that you have in getting ready for the Games between now and February? Varnier: We're entering a very interesting phase. After a lot of planning, we're actually starting to build things — overlay and temporary stuff. This is a very good feeling that you start entering the venues — that was mostly on paper until a few days ago. Of course, when you start the operations, many challenges come about. There are a couple of sport infrastructures that are still under construction. Mainly the main hockey arena and the sliding center. The sliding track is fully ready now. They're working on the surrounding areas. So we're monitoring this closely, because before the Games, we still have to perform some test events in these two venues. Nick Zaccardi, OlympicTalk: On the sliding center: over the last year, as this has been in the news and progressing, did you ever have any significant worries that it would be ready? And how satisfied are you now that everything is looking good? Varnier: We were confident that if the government agency that was in charge of works made their plans and said, 'we can do it,' we always try to be optimistic. But nonetheless, we had an alternative plan. But then, following the pre-homologation (test runs by athletes for the first time) in March, we were very happy. Not having the sliding center in Cortina would have been a great damage for the Games, for everybody. Starting from the athletes. The experience of the sliding athletes will have been different. But also for the other athletes in Cortina. They will have missed the opportunity to stay with their colleagues from the sliding sports. It would have been very difficult for the media. It will have been very strange for the spectators. So we were surely very happy when it was finally sure that we were able to do the competition in Cortina. OlympicTalk: What can you say about the plans you have for the Opening Ceremony to incorporate athletes who are at the clusters outside of Milan? Varnier: This is one of the challenges that we have since the beginning, because of the nature of our Games, so widespread. It's virtually impossible for the athletes to be in Milan if they are in the in the mountain clusters. Not only if you compete the next day, but in general, the distances are relevant. So we tried to study the possibility to involve them in different areas and incorporate them in the ceremony. So not just like has been done in the past, to have a video from a village and some people waving, but really being part of the ceremony. So we are developing a potential plan to have some cluster activators. It will be Livigno, Predazzo, and, obviously, Cortina. So in the end, we try to have the athletes staying in these clusters do an actual parade in a venue, potentially with people watching, and then it will be the magic of broadcasters to make sure it will look like a single parade. So the athletes will be all participating. In this model, there will also be some segments that will be performed in the different venues, so that makes it unity regardless of the distances. OlympicTalk: Is the plan still to have two cauldrons, one in Milan, one in Cortina? Varnier: Absolutely. This is for sure. They will be lit at the same time, and then will be going off for the same moment during the Closing Ceremony. OlympicTalk: Why was it decided to have the Olympic Closing Ceremony and Paralympic Opening Ceremony at the Verona Arena, outside of the main competition venue clusters? (Editor's note: The venue plan, including Verona, was decided before Varnier joined the Milan Cortina 2026 team.) Varnier: I think the idea behind that is, first of all, to find something very special. Having an Olympic ceremony and a Paralympic ceremony in an ancient, first century Roman amphitheater, I think, is something extraordinary. Only in Italy you could do something like that. Then Verona, yes, it's out of the competition clusters, but in fact, it is in the middle of the Olympic (venue) system. So we still think it is for some of the athletes and for some of the Olympic family a good point when the competitions are finished, to come down and meet. There's also another important statement that is to do mostly with the Paralympic Opening Ceremony. The Verona Arena has been used for shows for 100 years. And it's not accessible, according to the law. So the government made a 20 million euro investment to make the arena fully accessible. I think this is a very important achievement and a very strong message and legacy of our Games. Because if you can make it accessible in a first century Roman amphitheater, it means that you can do it everywhere. OlympicTalk: The Olympic torch relay will be starting in a few months visiting all of Italy's provinces. What do you foresee will be some of the most memorable images coming from that torch relay? Varnier: One important feature of our route is Italy is the country with the highest number of UNESCO World Heritage sites. We have over 60, and we are going through all of them. This is an important statement that we want to give to the world. Of course, some are quite remote, so it will not be the actual full relay to go there, but we will touch upon all of them. Then we have some other important highlights. For example, we will arrive in Cortina on the 26th of January, so 11 days before the Opening Ceremony. That's exactly the 70th anniversary of the Opening Ceremony of the 1956 Games in Cortina. OlympicTalk: Is there anything that we haven't addressed that's important as we look forward to the next 200 days into the start of the Games? Varnier: We're having an incredible volunteer campaign. We are using 18,000 volunteers. We were aiming to have between 40,000 and 50,000 applications. We reached more than 120,000 applications. It means that there's a lot of people passionate for the Games. We have of lot of young people that want to be a volunteer, and that's extraordinary. We saw the incredible number of tickets in the first wave in the spring. Now we're going through a second and final wave starting in the fall. It's very interesting to see that the greatest majority of the tickets have been sold to people 40 years and below. That's a good sign for the Olympic Movement to have so many younger parts of the population that are still enthusiastic about the Games.
CBC
01-04-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Olympic CEO has 'absolutely no doubt' that sliding events will be held in Cortina d'Ampezzo
With the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics less than a year away, organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier said he has "absolutely no doubt" that sliding sports will be held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, after testing went well last week. There was concern that the venue for bobsled, luge and skeleton might not be ready in time for next February's Games. The International Olympic Committee even demanded a Plan B option that could have the events moved to Lake Placid, New York, if things fell apart. The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation said last week's testing period at the track was "successful." Now, Varnier is confident about the pace rebuilding the century-old sliding centre is on. "We were always very optimistic, but until the pre-homologation (testing) of course, there were a lot of doubts around us," he said. "But we were confident, and we're very happy now." Officials from the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, International Luge Federation and the International Olympic Committee will determine whether the track receives official preliminary certification. Last week's events were enough to leave Varnier in good spirits. Completion is scheduled for Nov. 5, then there would be homologation and handover to Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 to hold the Games. Before the Olympics, the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation and International Luge Federation are set to use the new track for international training and test events. Varnier said it is important that the sliding sports be held in Cortina to improve the experience for those involved. "Very happy because that would be ideal for the athletes to be all together, to stay together in Cortina," he said. "Will be ideal for the spectators who will have a more truly Olympic experience in Cortina, and also for for the media and all the operators that — it would have been very difficult to follow those sliding sports somewhere else in the world."
Associated Press
31-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Olympic CEO has ‘absolutely no doubt' that sliding events will be held in Cortina d'Ampezzo
With the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics less than a year away, organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier said he has 'absolutely no doubt' that sliding sports will be held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, after testing went well last week. There was concern that the venue for bobsled, luge and skeleton might not be ready in time for next February's Games. The International Olympic Committee even demanded a Plan B option that could have the events moved to Lake Placid, New York, if things fell apart. The International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation said last week's testing period at the track was 'successful.' Now, Varnier is confident about the pace rebuilding the century-old sliding center is on. 'We were always very optimistic, but until the pre-homologation (testing) of course, there were a lot of doubts around us,' he said. 'But we were confident, and we're very happy now.' Officials from the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, International Luge Federation and the International Olympic Committee will determine whether the track receives official preliminary certification. Last week's events were enough to leave Varnier in good spirits. Completion is scheduled for Nov. 5, then there would be homologation and handover to Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 to hold the Games. Before the Olympics, the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation and International Luge Federation are set to use the new track for international training and test events. Varnier said it is important that the sliding sports be held in Cortina to improve the experience for those involved. 'Very happy because that would be ideal for the athletes to be all together, to stay together in Cortina,' he said. 'Will be ideal for the spectators who will have a more truly Olympic experience in Cortina, and also for for the media and all the operators that -- it would have been very difficult to follow those sliding sports somewhere else in the world.' ___
CBC
21-03-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Construction of hockey arena for 2026 Olympics facing a 'tight schedule'
The schedule for completing the arena that will be used for many hockey games at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy will be "very tight," organizers told the International Olympic Committee (IOC) this week at the organization's 144th Session in Greece. The Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, which is slated to be able to host 16,000 fans, will host many men's hockey games and the semifinal and final games in women's hockey. It will also be home to Para hockey during the Paralympics. But if things go to schedule, organizers won't be able to get into the facility to start building the temporary ice the players will use until October, four months before the Games are set to begin. The arena is being developed by a private company. After the Games, the ice will be removed and it will host other sports. "We've been following through the processes since the very beginning," Andrea Varnier, the CEO of Milano Cortina 2026, said after his presentation to IOC members on Thursday. Varnier blamed the pandemic for a "slow start" that left private owners wondering if the arena would be a good investment, without knowing what might happen in the world. "We were really worried at one point," Varnier said. "Finally work started and they're going very, very fast." The photos shown by the organizing committee during their presentation showed a skeleton of a structure. Ice to be tested less than 2 months before Games The schedule would see the temporary ice finished in December, less than two months before the Games. Then, organizers will hold test events to gauge its quality. Asked about the organizers' backup plan should the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena not be ready in time, Varnier said there isn't one. "We don't see a need for a backup plan because like we said, the work is going perfectly online with our timing," Varnier said. So we don't believe, together with the international federation, that we need a plan B." After the Olympics and Paralympics, the ice will be removed and the facility can be used for other sports, such as tennis, which are more popular in the local area. NHL players will return to the Olympics for the first time since 2014. The first tickets went on sale over two days in February. Of more than 600,000 tickets sold, hockey was one of the most popular draws, along with biathlon, figure skating and cross-country skiing. COC president Tricia Smith on new IOC president Kirsty Coventry 18 hours ago Duration 1:06 CBC Sports' Karissa Donkin caught up with the Canadian Olympic Committee president in Greece after the IOC voted on its 10th president. "It's obvious that it's a very huge opportunity for us, for Italy, for the games for the Olympic movement but specifically for Milano Cortina 2026," Giovanni Malagò, the president of the organizing committee, told reporters. Asked about the quality of the temporary ice the players will use, Varnier said there are great examples of tournaments using temporary ice. "We have the knowledge, the technology and the experience to make a fantastic temporary ice sheet for the NHL players to have a fantastic [tournament]," he said. "We're working with international federations. This has never been a worry. Of course much more challenging is the speed skating. That will be temporary as well." Sliding Centre set for testing The Milan Ice Park will host the speed skating stadium and Rho Ice Hockey Arena, which will play host to the men's and women's hockey games that won't be at the new Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Varnier told the IOC that permanent work on the Ice Park is complete. After the Games, the venue will be available as a multifunctional space for the community. Like at Santagiulia, the ice is temporary. "At the same time, we will be able to demonstrate that it is possible to organize a complex event such as a speed skating competition in a temporary and sustainable venue," Varnier said. Next week, 60 athletes are slated to test the sliding centre being built in Cortina, a venue that had been the target of sabotage last month. The backup plan, had the sliding centre not been completed, would see sliding events moved all the way to Lake Placid, N.Y.
Reuters
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Milan Cortina gets IOC thumbs up as sliding centre building falls into schedule
PYLOS, Greece, March 20 (Reuters) - Milan Cortina, once shrouded in doubt and uncertainty, got the thumbs-up from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after making up for lost time in the building of the 2026 Winter Games sliding centre. "In Cortina, work on the sliding centre continues at a rapid pace, and as you know, the pre-homologation session is planned for next week," Milan Cortina CEO Andrea Varnier, who presented his report at the 144th IOC session on Thursday, said. "This result, unthinkable, really unthinkable one year ago, is thanks to the incredible work done by SIMICO, the public agency in charge of infrastructure, and the fundamental cooperation with the IOC and the International Federation." Outgoing IOC president Thomas Bach, whose successor will be elected later on Thursday, said he was satisfied with the report, which shook off worries that the sliding centre would not be ready in time for the February 6-22 Games. Lake Placid, in the U.S., is the confirmed alternative for the centre, which will stage the bobsleigh, skeleton and luge events. "It is a clear and encouraging report," Bach said. "You are taking great pride in your capability to deliver successful events in the last minute, that you are enjoying in the running up to the Games that the rest of the world is very nervous. "After these reports today I must tell you we are not nervous anymore. The trust in your capabilities remains and has even been reinforced today. We can look forward to brilliant fantastic Winter Games." Varnier added that the rest of the preparations were also on schedule. "As for the Milano Santa Giulia ice hockey arena, the timeline, of course, remains very tight, but we're very satisfied with the acceleration of the works in the last year," he said. "We will remain confident in the ability and competence of the private developers who are in charge of the facility. Last but not least, at the Milano Ice Park, permanent works are complete."
