Bidding for and Planning the Winter Games of Milan-Cortina 2026: The Plurality of Trajectories and the Contradictions of Challenges

This chapter provides an overview on the Winter Olympics of Milan-Cortina 2026 by depicting and discussing the origins and evolution of the proposal, as well as its governance and plans. The chapter analyzes the motivations and aims of the next Winter Games’ edition in relation to connected narratives and projects. Besides, the chapter frames the macro-regional infrastructures and the four territorial clusters of the next Winter Games’ edition in relation to networks of involved spaces and actors, geographies of associated places and interests, and demands expressed by the variety of local populations. Specifically, it depicts the political and planning backgrounds behind the Milan-Cortina bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics in relation to both agendas of local institutions (sometimes explicit, sometimes implicit) and recommendations by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Accordingly, it links the research questions of the 2022 PhD workshop to the potentials of city–mountain integration and the risks of city–mountain juxtaposition, which are both related to (multifaceted and trans-scalar) socio-spatial fragilities and disparities. The chapter unveils the rationale behind choosing the Valtellina mountain region as a case study within this edited book. It sheds light on this specific region and its relation to the overall mega-event planning, providing a deeper understanding of the complexities involved in hosting the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina 2026