Milano Cortina 2026: Milano Cortina Olympic Athlete Villages Offer Comfortable Stays

By Mami Hamaguchi and Hiroyuki Okada / Yomiuri Shimbun Sports Writers

17:28 JST, February 4, 2026

MILAN / CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — The athletes villages for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics looked like comfortable places to stay when they were shown to the press on Tuesday.

The Olympic Games are held across a wide area of northern Italy, and there are athlete villages for different categories of competitions.

An athlete village in Cortina d’Ampezzo, where curling, women’s alpine skiing and other events are to be held, is a temporary residential complex about 6 kilometers from the center of the town.

It has more than 350 rooms in which 1,400 beds are prepared, according to officials of the Games.

Its dining hall can seat more than 450 people and serves meals 24 hours a day. The village also includes facilities such as a fitness gym.

There is a space called Mind Zone, where athletes can write letters to their families, draw pictures, do stretches or practice meditation.

A German athlete who had already arrived in the athlete village said with a smile that his room was warm and comfortable.

An athlete village in Milan was built as part of an urban regeneration project on the site of a rail yard and will be reused mainly as a student dormitory after the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

It too has a Mind Zone space and a relaxation room where athletes can enjoy table games.

Hidehito Ito, chef de mission of Team Japan at the Games, expressed a favorable impression of the athlete villages saying, “They are very comfortable to stay.”