Milano Olympics Start: Let Games Be a Festival of Peace That Overcomes Division

Editorial

16:25 JST, February 7, 2026

The Milano Cortina Winter Olympics have begun with the world order in turmoil amid unrelenting warfare. It is hoped that people will once more consider the significance of this festival of peace as they watch athletes from various nations competing earnestly.

During the 17-day Olympics, which will end on Feb. 22, there are scheduled to be 116 events for eight sports. Then on March 6, the Paralympics will begin.

This time, the Winter Games stand out for how decentralized the venues are, spreading across an area of about 22,000 square kilometers, including in the two cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in northern Italy. Many previously existing facilities are being used to reduce the burden on the host cities.

However, many venues are in mountainous areas with poor access. There are concerns about whether athletes, spectators and others will be able to move about smoothly and whether the Games will be cohesive, among other issues. The question is whether this can serve as a model for future Games by overcoming these challenges.

About 120 Japanese athletes are participating. Japan is expected to win medals in many events, such as speed skating, ski jumping and snowboarding. Hopefully, the country will win more than the 18 medals it took at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the most ever for Japan in a Winter Games.

The Japanese delegation is scheduled to stay across six different athletes villages. The Japanese Olympic Committee and sports federations should support the athletes and their staff to foster unity and maximize their performances.

On social media, athletes constantly face slander and abuse. During the Games, the JOC will reportedly use artificial intelligence to monitor social media posts 24 hours a day and ask for some posts to be deleted when necessary. Efforts must be made to ensure an environment where athletes can focus on their competitions.

Divisions created by differences in ideology and wealth disparities, among other factors, are enveloping the world. Conflicts between nations persist.

In November last year, the United Nations adopted a resolution calling for ceasefires during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as for a period before and after the Games.

Russia, which has acted with aggression against Ukraine, and Israel, which continued its attacks on the Gaza Strip, both supported the resolution. This promise must not be broken.

Instead of representing their countries, athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus are participating as “neutral” individuals, as they did at the Paris Summer Games two years ago.

Historically, the Olympic and Paralympic Games have been affected by international circumstance, resulting in cancellations due to war and boycotts stemming from political conflict, among other consequences.

Even so, the Olympics and Paralympics are far from lacking in impact. The sight of athletes from around the world competing earnestly under the same rules will surely make viewers contemplate the deep value of peace.

 (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Feb. 7, 2026)