3 years after his “No” to games, Turin looks soft at the Milan / Cortina tandem … without success, for the moment
At a time when we are talking about a new candidacy of the French Alps for the Olympic Games of 2030, the about-face of the Piedmontese capital can only challenge. Turin has just offered its services to the duo designated to organize the 2026 Olympics. The occasion for some great Italian “spat”.
“Turin came out like a grown-up through the door and she wants to come in again, but through the window, and on the sly this time! ”
Depending on whether or not one moves away from the Piedmontese capital, the comments of the Italian press have been more or less ironic to evoke the “about-face”, the “reverse engine” operation attempted by Turin in recent days. .
While the Milan / Cortina tandem was appointed almost a year and a half ago by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) to organize the 2026 Winter Olympics. While in 2018, the mayor of Turin, pushed by his populist majority of the 5-star party, had simply and simply withdrawn the candidacy of his city. Here is Turin awakening its old Olympic dream, never really extinguished since its 2006 Olympics!
In early November, at a joint press conference, the sacred union between the new mayor of Turin, center-left, and the president of the Piedmont region, center-right, was cleverly staged to shoot the page of Turin’s awkwardness. Three years already, a century for the disappointed in Piedmont.
“For us”, declared immediately Alberto Cirio, the president of the region, “the games are not over. And don’t say we’re dreaming, because we both have high hopes that we will be heard. On points as concrete as the financing of the event and the construction time of the works to be carried out, we have real arguments to make “.
300 million euros in savings possible thanks to Turin 2006
One way to put forward the Piedmont argument, that of the Olympic heritage.
Long before Turin’s mayoral victory of a new majority, the region’s vice-president for sports and tourism had prepared a study on the financial advantages of putting the “Milan-Cortina” trio back on track. Turin “could allow.
By restoring the bobsleigh track of the 2006 Games in Cesana-San Sicario, instead of building a brand new one in Cortina for 70 to 80 million euros, by reusing the springboards of Pragelato, using the Oval (Turin’s ice rink) instead of building a new Pharaonic Ice Palace in a small town in Trentino. In total, the budget for games could be reduced by some 300 million euros!
A figure to make more than one Olympiad organizer doubt. All the better, moreover, if we add to the financial gain that of the significantly reduced environmental impact than the reuse of old Olympic equipment.
However, we cannot say that the operation “seduction” of the two Piedmontese councilors was greeted with enthusiasm.
“For me, the question does not arise “, first commented curtly the mayor of Milan. “I would even say that the parenthesis is closed before it even reopens“, he had the opportunity to add the next day, as if to better drive the nail shutting the window through which the neighbor from Turin wanted to slip.
“After all, no one wanted to exclude Turin, except herself. Now our case is far too advanced. Cirio (Piedmont region) and Lo Russo (city of Turin) must make up their minds and stop insisting. I know very well that we are in a country where everything must always be discussed. If this is their way of doing things, it is not mine! “
An apparent end of inadmissibility, which should not, however, mask the alternative represented by a possible return to favor from Turin. Especially in the event of a delay in the schedule of major projects to be implemented before the D-day of the opening of the Milan-Cortina games.
Present these days in Turin for the opening of the ATP finals (Tennis Professionals Association), Valentina Vezzali, the Italian sports minister recalled that the boss responsible for organizing the schedule of major projects would be appointed before the end of November. And then you have to run to complete the work on time. This is not always the strong point of major “made in Italy” events. The 90’s World Cup or the Universal Expo in Milan are the best examples. In 2015, the Italy pavilion was only completed after the inauguration of the event!
“It was our duty to make known our availability to give our help “, simply commented the mayor of Turin in front of the violence of the Milanese “No”.
“We both came to responsibilities after Turin gave up on the 2026 Games“, added for his part the president of the region.”But what is certain is that we are doing everything in our power to get back into the race! “
Failing to be able to convince their Venetian and Lombard counterparts, it is towards Rome that the eyes of the Piedmontese are now converging. Towards the president of the National Olympic Committee, who will have a lot to do if by chance he decides to reconnect the threads between the regions of northeastern and northwestern Italy. Knowing that to change the location of a competition site, it must collect two-thirds of the votes of the Organizing Committee, whose members come from CONI and local authorities.
Unless the Venetians and Lombards themselves give up certain events, too heavy to organize, too impactful for their mountains, it seems difficult in Piedmont to recover major events of the 2026 Olympics. The bob, some events speed skating, some national team training maybe? Or not ?
It is the same with the Olympics as it is with the great History: on the menu of great moments, the dishes rarely come back twice!