Milano Cortina 2026: Sport and Culture Together

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with the Ministry of Culture: music, theatre, film and art form the centre of the path to the 2026 Winter Games.

The Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, guest of the Veneto Region at the Palazzo Grandi Stazioni in Venice, signed the Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Culture this morning during the press conference to present the Cultural Program of the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. A document that aims to promote, through culture and creativity, the values ​​of sport, Olympism and Paralympism.

The Cultural Program includes a series of initiatives that embrace music, theatre, cinema, fashion, design, museums and a series of proposals from the territories that will receive the patronage of the Foundation. Among the various activations there is also the one dedicated to the Museums for the Olympics and Paralympics: during the Games, in fact, the Ministry of Culture will promote and facilitate access to itineraries and cultural routes identified in the hosting territories in 2026.

The Minister of Culture, Dario Franceschini, the President of the Veneto Region, Luca Zaia, the President of CONI and the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, Giovanni Malagò and the CEO of the Foundation, Vincenzo Novari, spoke at the event.

Promoting sports and local culture is one of the central objectives of the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026. The Memorandum of Understanding therefore represents a fundamental stage on the Road to the Games.

Six projects that will see some of the most representative figures of the Italian cultural panorama in the role of Artistic Director. Juries of experts will then contribute to the selection of the works to be presented to the public for voting on the winners.

MUSIC ACCOMPANYING THE GAMES
The contest that will elect the Milano Cortina 2026 Anthem is aimed at Italian bands, choirs and conservatories: the challenge is theirs to compose the piece that will accompany the Road to the Games. The project is carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of University and Research. Under the artistic direction of Maestro Peppe Vessicchio, two songs will be identified, the winner will instead be chosen by the people through a voting mechanism as already happened for the official emblem.

MILANO CORTINA 2026 SHORT FILM CONTEST
Milano Cortina 2026 Short Film Contest is the project, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, dedicated to short films. Young Italian video-makers, directors and creatives will talk about their relationship with the mountains and sport. Every year the authors of the best proposals will be the protagonists of some special evening events to be held in Rome.

POSTER CONTEST
Poster Contest is an international challenge for the creation of the official poster of the Milano Cortina 2026 Games, which makes use of the know-how and heritage of the Salce National Museum of Treviso, a unique state museum dedicated to advertising graphics. Through a dedicated social campaign, 226 artists - 126 Italians and 100 foreigners, one from each participating country - will compete in a competition for the winning idea. The initiative will start in 2022 and will be crowned in 2024 by an exhibition in which the best works will be displayed.

OPEN THEATERS
The theatre companies on stage for Open Theaters. The objective of the initiative is to pay homage to the great theatrical tradition of our country through the writing of an original screenplay focused on sport and its values. The selected proposals will then be staged, by the Foundation, and will become some of the travelling contents in view of the Games.

HERITAGE PROGRAM
The Heritage Program will be the most ambitious and engaging initiative: the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, in collaboration with the territories and making use of a commission of experts and artistic directors, will sponsor the most significant projects in the field of sport, its values ​​and its tale.

MUSEUMS FOR THE OLYMPICS AND PARALYMPICS
Free or facilitated access to museums and archaeological parks located within the Olympic and Paralympic events, thanks to the MiC which will identify itineraries and cultural routes together with the regions and local authorities in the territories hosting the competitions and in neighbouring ones, involving the UNESCO sites and places of culture present.

The MiC and the Foundation, in collaboration with regions, territorial bodies and cultural institutes and in synergy with cultural and creative businesses, will finally cooperate to implement cultural initiatives capable of promoting, also through digital, cultural heritage and Made in Italy.

Milano Cortina 2026 thus aims to promote the immense artistic-cultural heritage of our country, acting as an interpreter of the culture and style that has always characterised Italy in the eyes of the world.