\u2022 Today\u2019s event, promoted by Fondazione Cortina and the Municipality of Cortina, celebrates the strong connection with one of the key sports of the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games.
\n\u2022 Cortina, the birthplace of curling in Italy, now has an extraordinary opportunity to relaunch this sport and make the Belluno area a place where innovation and tradition coexist in a shared project of growth.<\/p>\n
Cortina d\u2019Ampezzo, April 16, 2025<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 On the occasion of the World Junior Curling Championships \u2013 scheduled through April 21 and considered an important test event ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games \u2013 Fondazione Cortina and the Municipality of Cortina d\u2019Ampezzo today hosted an institutional event dedicated to sport, the local area, and the future of curling in Ampezzo, titled\u00a0\u201cCortina and Curling: Tradition, Innovation, and the Future.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
The event brought together institutional representatives, industry professionals, and athletes for a discussion on a sport that has its roots in Italy right here in Cortina, where it has been established for the past 70 years. After the historic milestone of Stefania Constantini\u2019s Olympic gold at Beijing 2022, curling now looks to the future with the ambition to double the number of athletes and fans, aided by the exposure that will come with the 2026 Games.<\/p>\n
Following welcome remarks by Mayor Gianluca Lorenzi and Stefano Longo, President of Fondazione Cortina, the City Council Hall hosted a lively debate, moderated by sports journalist Dario Puppo. Opening the discussion, World Curling President Beau Welling, alongside Alessandro Zisa, President of the Curling Club Dolomiti, and Giuseppe Antonucci, Federal Councillor of the FISG (Italian Ice Sports Federation), outlined the current state of the sport and the commitment of curling organizations to building a new tradition in Italy and worldwide.<\/p>\n
Next, the discussion turned to technical aspects and the “road to Milano Cortina 2026,” with a focus on Cortina\u2019s role as host of the Olympic and Paralympic competitions at the historic Olympic Ice Stadium. Speakers included Andrea Francisi, Chief Games Operations Officer of Milano Cortina 2026, Anna Riccardi, Sport Director of Milano Cortina 2026, and Fabio Saldini, CEO of Societ\u00e0 Infrastrutture Milano Cortina 2026 S.p.A.<\/p>\n
Also present in the room were the athletes of Team Colli \u2013 Giacomo Colli, Francesco De Zanna, Edoardo Alfonsi, and Alberto Zisa \u2013 as well as national paralympic team member Angela Menardi and other local curling representatives, demonstrating the deep bond between the Ampezzo region and this sport, which today looks ahead with renewed energy and sees the ongoing Championships as a key test for 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re truly thrilled to be back in Cortina for the World Junior Championships, an event that serves as a crucial test ahead of next year\u2019s Games. The last time we were here was for the Men\u2019s World Championship in 2010, and even now we\u2019re struck by the warm welcome we\u2019ve received. The crowds cheering for their teams have been incredible, and the energy and support shown by the local community give us so much excitement for the unique atmosphere that will come to life during the 2026 Games. We\u2019re lucky to compete in one of the most iconic Olympic curling venues ever, and it\u2019s incredibly exciting. We\u2019re confident this venue will remain a hub for winter sports in the future, and we hope to do our part in bringing major events back to this beautiful city in the years to come,\u201d said Beau Welling, President of World Curling.<\/p>\n
\u201cWatching young athletes take to the ice in Cortina is more than just a technical step toward the Olympics: it\u2019s a dream taking shape, and it\u2019s the future of our sport being told through passion, commitment, and determination. In less than a year, curling will bring Cortina into the spotlight, and both the city and everyone involved in this event are working hard to deliver a high-level experience. In this sense, the Junior World Championships make us optimistic that, as a nation, we\u2019ll be ready to shine in 2026. On behalf of the FISG, we\u2019re deeply proud to support these young men and women who are bravely and wholeheartedly striving to represent the Italian jersey in the best possible way,\u201d said Giuseppe Antonucci, Federal Councillor of the FISG.<\/p>\n
The discussion also touched on the growing role of curling and wheelchair curling in Italy, its educational and sporting value for the younger generations, and the legacy the Games will leave to the Ampezzo region: upgraded facilities, new opportunities for youth, and a shared vision of sustainable and inclusive development.<\/p>\n
The historic Cortina d\u2019Ampezzo facility, a symbol of the 1956 Winter Olympics \u2013 the first ever hosted in Italy \u2013 has recently undergone significant modernization to meet international standards ahead of the Games. The ongoing World Junior Curling Championships serve as a crucial test to assess the facility\u2019s efficiency and full readiness for Olympic use.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was truly emotional to inaugurate the Junior World Championships and see so many young people competing at the newly renovated Ice Stadium ahead of the 2026 Games. The works were completed on schedule, with an investment of over 20 million euros and special attention to universal accessibility, and they\u2019re a great calling card for Italy to show to the world,\u201d commented Fabio Saldini, Government Commissioner and CEO of SIMICO.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis Junior World Championship wraps up the season of test events,\u201d said Andrea Francisi, Chief Games Operations Officer of Milano Cortina 2026. \u201cWe kicked it off in Bormio with the Men\u2019s Alpine Skiing in late 2024, then moved through the other Olympic and Paralympic territories, where we received excellent feedback and learned valuable lessons from the venues. We know the long-standing tradition that curling has in Cortina, and the Ice Stadium becomes the perfect blend of history and innovation: a central venue in our masterplan that, in addition to hosting the Curling and Wheelchair Curling tournaments, will also be the stage for the emotional Closing Ceremony of the Paralympic Games, which will officially conclude the Milano Cortina 2026 experience. The results are the fruit of teamwork involving local areas, organizing committees, companies, and institutions at regional, provincial, and municipal levels”.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u2022 Today\u2019s event, promoted by Fondazione Cortina and the Municipality of Cortina, celebrates the strong connection with one of the key sports of the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games. \u2022 Cortina, the birthplace of curling in Italy, now has an extraordinary opportunity to relaunch this sport and make the Belluno area a place where […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":8755,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crosspost_to_2":false,"_crosspost_to_3":false,"_crosspost_to_4":false,"_crosspost_to_5":true,"_crosspost_to_6":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","category-press-releases"],"yoast_head":"\n