MILAN (Reuters) -International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry praised Milan’s 2026 Olympic Village on Thursday, saying it was so impressive that it made her want to become a winter athlete. Coventry, a two-time Olympic swimming champion from Zimbabwe and the first woman to lead the IOC, toured the village located in the Porta Romana district, […]
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Olympics-2026 Milan Village is a stunning venue, says IOC President Coventry
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MILAN (Reuters) -International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry praised Milan’s 2026 Olympic Village on Thursday, saying it was so impressive that it made her want to become a winter athlete.
Coventry, a two-time Olympic swimming champion from Zimbabwe and the first woman to lead the IOC, toured the village located in the Porta Romana district, which will host around 1,400 athletes during the Games.
“The rooms are beautiful, the gym, the dining hall. It’s all blending history, culture and passion, which is what Italy is known for,” she told reporters during a visit ahead of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics.
Developed on a former railway yard as part of a broader revamp of the area, the village will be turned into student housing after the Olympics, which Milan and the town of Cortina d’Ampezzo, one of Italy’s most famous ski resorts, will co-host from February 6-22.
“You must be so proud because it really is a stunning venue,” Coventry said, thanking local authorities and companies involved in the project, and praising the plans to turn it into student accommodation.
(Reporting by Elvira Pollina, editing by Ed Osmond)