Bids

Northwest Italy launches Operation 2036

— Published on April 19, 2026

« Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first ever dispersed Olympic Games. "This is what the San Siro audience and television viewers around the world heard on Friday, February 6, during the opening ceremony of Milan-Cortina 2026. Italy was won over, and some political leaders hope to repeat the feat, following the same model, but this time for the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. The mayors of Milan, Turin, and Genoa, as well as the governors of the Lombardy, Piedmont, and Liguria regions, have publicly announced their intention to submit a joint bid for 2036."

"To build a credible, sustainable and innovative proposal"

On Tuesday, the process to assess the possibility of submitting a bid from the Northwest was officially launched. According to Lombardy Governor Attilio Fontana, quoted by the... Journal of SportThe Milan-Cortina model was a success because it was based on " The capacity of territories to collaborate and integrate their skills, infrastructure, and local identities is our starting point: collaboration between territories is a strategic lever for building large-scale, sustainable, innovative international projects capable of generating lasting benefits. We propose to replicate and strengthen this approach. »

The mayor of Turin, Stefano Lo Russo, quoted " environmental sustainability "as a fundamental characteristic of the project. These Games would be based on the same principles as the last Winter Games: making the most of existing infrastructure, minimizing new construction, and sharing the benefits across the region. Milan and Turin have the advantage of experience hosting the Winter Games. Turin is also in the running to host the speed skating events in 2030." We are still far from knowing what the project will look like, who will do what, what facilities we will use, but we think it will be very relevant " says the mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, citing the deadline of the 2036 Games, without closing the door to subsequent editions.

The unity displayed by the three mayors – Giuseppe Sala, Stefano Lo Russo and Silvia Salis – and the three governors – Attilio Fontana, Alberto Cirio and Marco Bucci – is a good starting point. We want to build a credible, sustainable, and innovative proposal that puts young people and the future of our cities and regions at the heart of the project. We've launched the idea; now, for it to take off, we need everyone's support: citizens, businesses, the world of sport, CONI, and the government. “,” says Genoa’s mayor, Silvia Salis, former hammer thrower and Olympian (Beijing 2008, London 2012). “We might have to play a match against Rome, but Sala is ready to do it.” That doesn't scare us. If Rome wishes, it will submit its application and we'll see which project is the best. " he replies. Germany and Turkey could be other competitors at the European level.