— Published February 2, 2026

Cortina d'Ampezzo, forever the first

Milan-Cortina 2026 Focus

The 1956 opening ceremony (IOC).

Starting Wednesday at 19:05 PM, two days before the opening ceremony, Cortina d'Ampezzo will host the first events of the 2026 Winter Olympics with the mixed doubles curling. The Dolomite resort is already familiar with this excitement, having been in the Olympic spotlight in 1956. A historic moment, as Italy hosted the Games for the very first time. Let's look back at that edition, which marked a turning point in its development.

A mixed sporting legacy

Designated as host of the 1944 Winter Olympics, Cortina d'Ampezzo had to wait until 1956 to host the Games, due to World War II. Cortina was already a prestigious Alpine resort, popular with high society and appreciated for its elegance and beauty. However, with services and infrastructure suited to a relatively limited number of visitors, it was not yet a fully developed tourist destination. The 1956 Winter Olympics transformed Cortina into a recognized international Alpine destination. », explains Josep Ejarque, director of Cortina Marketing, the promotional organization of Cortina d'Ampezzo.

The resort then boasted a bobsleigh track, built in 1906, an ice hockey arena, ski jumps (finally renovated just before the Games), and ski slopes. It commissioned the construction of the Stadio Olimpico del Ghiaccio to host the ceremonies, some of the ice hockey matches, and the figure skating events. Two temporary venues completed the facilities: the snow stadium (cross-country skiing) and the Lake Misurina ice rink (speed skating). The Games' legacy is, of course, sporting: since then, Cortina d'Ampezzo has hosted the World Curling Championships in 2010 in this same Stadio Olimpico del Ghiaccio, a link between 1956 and 2026.

The Alpine Ski World Championships (2021) and numerous World Cup events have also been held there. The Eugenio Monti bobsleigh track hosted five Bobsleigh World Championships between 1960 and 1999, before being abandoned (and subsequently rebuilt for the 2026 Games). Its ski jumping hills, the most modern at the time, also hosted the very first World Cup event in the discipline, in 1979, but have been gathering dust for over thirty years now. A mixed record, then, which could have been different if Cortina d'Ampezzo had succeeded in securing the Games in 1988 (eliminated in the first round against Falun and Calgary) or in 1992 (eliminated in the third round).

Television and cinema as allies

The legacy of 1956 remains very strong in Cortina d'Ampezzo. For the first time at the time, the Winter Olympics were broadcast live in eight European countries. This brought enormous exposure to the village and its breathtaking scenery. Television was becoming increasingly common in homes, and Cortina was thus showcased in an unprecedented way. This contributed significantly to making it a popular winter tourist destination, whose population is almost ten times greater during the peak season today. Some of the infrastructure from 1956, notably the ski jumps and the ice rink, even appeared in the James Bond film. Just for your eyes from 1981, which offered Cortina new international publicity.

« The Games made Cortina visible, accessible, and well-equipped in terms of infrastructure, but above all, they projected an image perfectly aligned with cinematic aesthetics: alpine modernity, breathtaking landscapes, and a chic lifestyle. Without its Olympic legacy, Cortina would certainly not have become one of the most iconic mountain locations in the international film industry. The 1956 Olympic Games gave Cortina international legitimacy, and the film industry amplified its image.Josep Ejarque points out, citing The Great Silence, Cliffhanger, Point Break, and The Pink Panther. Sport and cinema have together contributed to building Cortina's image as a spectacular, elegant and recognizable place throughout the world. »

Historic Games for female representation

The organization of the 1956 Games accelerated investments in accessibility: the government of the time spent 1,9 billion lire (approximately 50 million euros) to improve road access to the resort. A new road was notably built between Cortina d'Ampezzo and the village of Zuel, the site of the ski jumping competition. On the sporting front, the 1956 Games marked several major advances, including the timing system: cross-country skiing results were recorded to the hundredth of a second. For the first time, alpine skiers also started from a gate, with a visual signal and a buzzer indicating the start.

Symbolically, Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1956 also witnessed a female athlete take the Olympic oath for the very first time at the opening ceremony of the Winter Games: skier Giuliana Chenal-Minuzzo. Seventy years later, women will once again be in the spotlight: not only on the program, as they have never been so well represented, but also on the the official poster for these Games, work by the artist Olimpia Zagnoli.