Transparency has become very trendy in the Olympic movement. It was time. But the IOC remains determined to set certain limits, especially when it comes to Winter Games candidacies.

Tuesday May 7, Milan/Cortina and Stockholm/Are were invited to present their concept and their vision to the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (AIOWF), meeting in a general assembly in Gold Coast, as part of SportAccord 2019.

A little over a month before the IOC vote for the host city of the 2026 Winter Games, the occasion was not anecdotal. An important step, without being decisive. The last presentation of the two projects before the IOC session in Lausanne, June 24, 2019.

First bad surprise: the presentation took place remotely, by videoconference. The two bidding teams were initially scheduled to travel to Australia, to face the presidents of the international winter sports federations in the flesh. The IOC finally asked them to stay at home. For the sake of economy and sustainability. Odd.

Richard Brisius, the general director of Stockholm/Are, was still announced in Gold Coast two days before the presentation. His room was reserved at the hotel. He canceled his trip at the last moment, careful to respect the IOC's instructions.

Second discovery: the media were excluded from the room. They remained stuck at the door, unable to follow the two presentations. Where is the transparency?

The Swedes and Italians meekly complied with a tasteless exercise. Stockholm/Are started, Milan/Cortina d’Ampezzo continued. In both cases, a video presentation of the sites and the concept, followed by a handful of interventions. Fifteen to twenty minutes per application. Classic. At the scheduled time for questions and answers, winter sports leaders remained silent. Not the slightest question.

Same slightly embarrassed silence from the leaders at the end of the presentation. Gian-Franco Kasper, the president of the International Ski Federation (FIS) was the first to leave the room. Known for liking to express himself, the Swiss kept his impressions to himself. “ We had two good presentations, I won’t say more.”, he said as he headed out.

Olle Dahlin, the president of the International Biathlon Federation (IBU), said even less. “ I can’t answer your questions”, grimaced the Swede.

The IOC had imposed silence. He was listened to. The reason ? We wonder.

In Stockholm, the bid team turned off its videoconferencing device without trying to prolong the exercise. In Rome, the Italians opted for a more media approach. They organized a press conference.

The opportunity for the bid team to reveal some elements, necessarily very hypothetical, of their strategy in the event of victory. They announced that the presidency of the organizing committee would be held by Giovanni Malago, the president of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI). He would be supported by a general director from the business world.

Other news: the Milan/Cortina 2026 team will be reinforced, to appear before the IOC session on June 24 in Lausanne, by three Italian Olympic champions: Alberto Tomba and Sofia Goggia for alpine skiing, Michela Moioli for snowboard cross . Everyone will be dressed in Armani. Finally, the music for the presentation film will be composed by Ennio Morricone. Class.