IOC hails global reach of 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Thursday that the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics reached a global audience of 2.6 billion people, citing independent research presented during its annual session.

The findings were included in the final report on the Milan-Cortina Games, which was presented to delegates at the 146th IOC Session. The report concluded that the first Winter Olympics to be staged across multiple host regions delivered strong sporting, economic and social outcomes while setting a template for future editions.

"Milano Cortina 2026 demonstrated that a distributed model, spread across multiple regions, venues and communities, is not only viable, but can deliver a successful edition of the Olympic Winter Games," said Kristin Kloster, chair of the IOC Coordination Commission.

According to the report, the Games supported more than 36,000 jobs, generated more than 5 billion euros (5.8 billion U.S. dollars) in net economic impact for Italy and accelerated nearly 100 infrastructure projects. It also said more than 2 million young people took part in initiatives linked to the Gen26 education program.

The IOC said the Games "now stand as a reference point for future Olympic Winter Games, including Alpes 2030," demonstrating that a distributed hosting model can be more flexible, sustainable and better aligned with local communities while delivering lasting benefits.

The report also said more than 5.4 million people attended competition venues, fan zones and the Olympic Torch Relay, while engagement across IOC-owned digital platforms rose to 12.7 billion interactions, compared with 3.2 billion for the previous Winter Games cycle.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry said the Games demonstrated the Olympic movement's continuing global appeal across television, streaming and digital platforms.

"Milano Cortina 2026 also demonstrated the enduring global appeal of the Olympic Games, reaching and engaging audiences around the world in unprecedented ways," Coventry said. "The incredible global engagement seen throughout Milano Cortina 2026 once again showed that the Olympic Games can unify people and bring people together in a way that few other events can." Enditem