The organizers of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Games are following the example of their French colleagues from Paris 2024: they are reviewing their venue map to reduce costs. They decided that the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, initially planned for Milan, would ultimately take place in Verona. In the application file, it was to be held at the PalaItalia Santa Giulia, a site under construction in Milan. For budgetary reasons, it will take place at the Verona Arena, planned to host the closing ceremony of the 2026 Olympic Games. The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, on the other hand, remains scheduled at the San Siro stadium in Milan. The location of the Paralympics closing ceremony has not yet been announced. Another decision taken by the Milan-Cortina 2026 board of directors: ski mountaineering, a new Olympic sport, will take place in Bormio, the resort where the men's alpine skiing events will be held.
