A total of seven bids were initially submitted for the 2026 Winter Olympics. One bid was not invited to and four of the bids were subsequently withdrawn after entering the candidature stage, leaving Milan–Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy and Stockholm–Åre, Sweden as the only two remaining candidate bids. Milan–Cortina d'Ampezzo was elected as the host city at the 134th IOC Session in Lausanne, Switzerland, on 24 June 2019.
Bidding process The IOC Executive Board met in Lausanne to discuss the 2026 bidding process on 9 June 2017; and a new approach was approved at the Extraordinary IOC Session on 11–12 July 2017. The IOC would take a more proactive role in assisting and supporting cities considering a candidature for the 2026 Olympics, and would customise its approach to the needs of the cities in order for them to develop the best value proposition. These measures were designed to lead to a simplified process for the cities, with reduced costs. The Invitation Phase had been extended to one year, starting 13 September 2017, and the Candidature Phase has been shortened to one year, starting from 2018 to 2019. These measures were enacted due to a lack of interest in bidding for the 2026 Games well into 2017.
Dialogue stage Launch of dialogue stage (29 September 2017) Joint briefing through video conference (13 October 2017) Signing of candidature cooperation agreement (Before scheduling first IOC expert support visits or interactive working session) Customised on-site expert support visits (November 2017 – April 2018) On-site interactive working session 1: Presentation and discussion of initial Games concept (25 November – 15 December 2017) Observer programme at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea (9–23 February 2018) Deadline for cities to enter the candidature process by joining dialogue stage (31 March 2018) On-site interactive working session 2: Presentation of consolidated Games concept after consultation with IOC technical experts (May 2018) Official debrief between PyeongChang Organising Committee and Beijing Organising Committee (June 2018) Provision of host city contract (July 2018) IOC Working Group Report submitted to IOC Executive Board (September 2018) IOC Executive Board to recommend to the IOC Session cities to invite to the candidature stage (October 2018) IOC Session to invite a number of interested cities to take part in the candidature stage (October 2018)
Candidature stage Deadline for the submission of the Candidature File but without core guarantees by the candidate cities (11 January 2019) IOC expert pre-visits (February 2019) IOC Evaluation Commission analysis including a visit to each candidate city and requests for submission of any additional information or guarantees (March/April 2019) Stockholm–Åre 2026 (12–16 March 2019) Milan–Cortina 2026 (2–6 April 2019) Deadline for the submission of the complete Guarantee File (12 April 2019) Final Q&A session with the Evaluation Commission via individual video conference (May 2019) Publication of the Evaluation Commission Report on www.olympic.org (May 2019) Candidate cities' right of response following publication of the Evaluation Commission Report (June 2019) Candidate City Briefing 2026 for IOC Members and International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (June 2019) Candidate cities present to IOC Session in Lausanne, followed by election of the Host City 2026 (24 June 2019) Individual debriefing with each NOC / candidate city (6–9 months after the election)
IOC's 2026 Evaluation Commission In October 2018, the IOC appointed the following members and stakeholder representatives to the Evaluation Commission that will assess the candidate cities for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Octavian Morariu: Chair Kristin Kloster Aasen: IOC member Zhang Hong: IOC member : Stakeholder representative Heike Größwang: Stakeholder representative Marianna Davis: Stakeholder representative Lee Hee-beom: Stakeholder representative José Luis Marco: Stakeholder representative
Milan–Cortina d'Ampezzo was selected as host city of the 2026 Winter Olympics after beating Stockholm–Åre by 13 votes on 24 June 2019 at the 134th IOC Session in Lausanne, Switzerland. The host city was originally due to be selected on 11 September 2019, at the 134th IOC Session in Milan; however, IOC rules required that the election be moved to a different location after Italy submitted a bid for the 2026 Games that included the city.
Final selection process
The IOC voted to select the host city of the 2026 Winter Olympics on 24 June 2019 at the 134th IOC Session in Lausanne, Switzerland. + 2026 Winter Olympics bidding results City Nation VotesMilan–Cortina d'Ampezzo47Stockholm–Åre34
Criteria A firm criterion for the Winter Olympics is the availability of alpine ski slopes of certain sizes, which narrows down potential locations significantly, and often necessitates locations in less populated areas. The men's downhill requires at least altitude difference along a course of around in length.
For the 2026 Winter Olympics the IOC allowed a longer distance between events, so that alpine skiing can be held in a mountain area, and sports such as ice hockey and figure skating can be held in a large city more than away where such arenas are already available or have greater usage after the games.
A certain spectator capacity is required, which is most often 10,000 but varies according to the particular sport. Furthermore, certain VIP areas are required at every venue.
Candidate cities On 2 July 2018, the IOC announced that it would contribute US$925 million to the host city in order to help reduce costs.
Cities in dialogue stage The following cities participated in the dialogue stage. Four of these (Calgary, Sapporo, Sion, and Stockholm) joined the dialogue stage at its launch on 29 September 2017, and took part in the PyeongChang 2018 Observer Programme. The other cities joined in time for the deadline (31 March 2018) for entering the candidature stage.
Milan–Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy Stockholm–Åre, Sweden (withdrew on 19 November 2018 after rejection in referendum) (was not invited to candidature stage on 4 October 2018) (withdrew on 13 September 2018) (withdrew on 6 July 2018) (withdrew on 10 June 2018 after rejection in referendum)
Cities in candidature stage Three of the four cities that still remained in the dialogue stage in October 2018 were invited by the IOC to join the candidature stage; these were Calgary, Stockholm, and the joint Milan–Cortina d'Ampezzo bid. Erzurum was the only city remaining in the dialogue stage that was not invited to advance. Calgary withdrew its bid on 19 November 2018, and Stockholm created a joint bid with Åre on 11 January 2019 to become Stockholm–Åre 2026.
The candidate cities were required to fulfill their governmental requirements by 11 January 2019.
City Country National Olympic Committee Bid Committee Website Result Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) milanocortina2026.coni.it WinnerIn June 2017, the president of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI), Giovanni Malagò, proposed a bid for Milan to host the 2026 Winter Olympics. Malagò considered Milan together with Valtellina as suitable candidates. The plan was for Milan to host the ice sports, while the snow sports would take place in Bormio, Santa Caterina di Valfurva, and Livigno, which are already well-known destinations for Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, etc.
On 10 March 2018, the mayor of Turin, Chiara Appendino, confirmed that a bid to host the Games on the 20th anniversary of the 2006 Winter Olympics was being explored. She suggested that the bid would introduce a new, revolutionary model for hosting the Games, with sustainability at the forefront. On 17 March, Appendino sent a letter to CONI officially expressing her support, after having resolved an initial split in support amongst fellow council members. The following week, the municipal council gave approval to start the procedure for establishing a "Torino 2026" association. The not-for-profit entity would have the task of overseeing the analysis and research necessary to evaluate the feasibility of an eventual candidature of Turin to host the Winter Olympics. On 29 March, two days before the deadline for cities to join the dialogue stage, it was confirmed that CONI would bid to host the 2026 Games in Milan and Turin, and that a letter of intent had been sent to the IOC. The bid was complicated by the fact that the 134th IOC Session was scheduled to be held in Milan in 2019. According to IOC rules, if an Italian city proceeded to the candidature stage, the venue for the IOC session would need to be changed to a different country.
A decision on which city would lead the potential Italian bid for the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games was to be made on either 1 August or 17 September 2018. At a conference on 4 July 2018, Appendino presented the "Turin 2026" project and its candidacy, describing the opportunity of a double candidature with Milan as "a chit-chat of the press I haven't seen yet". On 1 August 2018, CONI confirmed that all bidding cities would bid jointly, using existing facilities, and presented a proposal for a combined bid to be launched by Milan, Turin and Cortina d'Ampezzo. CONI then announced on 18 September that it would present a joint bid with just Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, since the city of Turin had chosen to withdraw from the bidding process. The next day, Italian Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini, confirmed that the Italian government would support a 2026 Winter Olympics bid. Furthermore, CONI were open to accepting an eventual return of Turin to the joint Italian bid.
On 1 October 2018, CONI provided final confirmation of the Milan–Cortina d'Ampezzo bid for the 2026 Olympics. Although the bid received the Italian government's endorsement, no financial investment was to be provided by the government. However, the regions of Lombardy and Veneto would aim to finance the 2026 Games with private and public investments. On 5 April 2019, the Italian government made a commitment to provide financial support for the Milan–Cortina d'Ampezzo bid. Stockholm and Åre Swedish Olympic Committee (SOC) stockholm-are2026.com Runner upStockholm withdrew its bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics in January 2014, but the president of the Swedish Olympic Committee (SOC) claimed in December 2014 that Sweden could apply again, given that the IOC wants to reduce the cost of the Games for organisers, which was the problem with the 2022 bid. The SOC agreed to conduct a feasibility study on a potential bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics. On 31 January 2017, during the semi-final allocation draw for the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest, it was announced by the president of the Stockholm City Council, Eva-Louise Erlandsson Slorach, that Stockholm would not seek to host the 2026 Winter Games. Despite this, the SOC continued to work on the application and, while there was no official commitment from the political parties, the SOC was committed to convincing the city of Stockholm and other involved municipalities to support the revival of Stockholm's bid to host the Winter Games.