Milan has announced its proposition of building a permanent ice rink as a lasting legacy of the Winter Olympics

The Milano Cortina 2026 has successfully wound up after hosting 116 events across 16 different winter sports. The event exceeded its participation figures by hosting 2900 athletes from 90 different countries.” With "It's your vibe" as its motto, the 25th Winter Olympics saw Norway emerge as the winner, taking home 41 medals, followed by the 33 medals won by the US.

The event was estimated to create an economic impact of around EUR 5.3 billion, thereby expanding its vision of promoting winter sports to strengthen Italy's international position. In accordance with this vision, Milan has now announced plans to construct a permanent ice rink commemorating and solidifying the Olympics' legacy and prestige. The permanent rink has been scheduled to be built in the Milano Santa Giulia district of Milan. The rink shall have a seating capacity of 5000 seats and is estimated to be completed within 3 years. This is what we had been asking for for a long time, and I believe it would truly complete these Olympics, which have been extraordinary," said Andrea Gios, president of the Italian Ice Sports Federation.

The vision behind the ice rink construction is beyond providing training facilities to the city and expanded to strengthen Italy's bid for hosting the world championship. Italy aims to construct a permanent ecosystem for winter sports in Milan, thereby transforming the city into a global sports city.

Another temporary rink shall be constructed by October 2026 to sustain local ice sport games until the construction of the permanent one. A blend of local and private investors shall fund the projects, with North American investors being approached to contribute to the funding and support a professional hockey franchise with an estimated investment of 5% million each year.