Italy to bid for 2026 Winter Olympics

Rome : Italy is considering bid to host the 2026 Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympic Games, the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) has said.

The candidate cities are Cortina d'Ampezzo, Milan and Turin. CONI will decide between them at its next national council meeting, according to the ANSA news agency.

The decision could be taken on August 1 or September 10, CONI said on Tuesday.

CONI President Giovanni Malago was quoted by ANSA as saying that the best option was a joint candidature comprising Cortina, Milan and Turin.

Turin hosted the Winter Games in 2006 while Cortina d'Ampezzo hosted the 1956 event, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Canadian city of Calgary, Swedish capital Stockholm, Sapporo in Japan and Erzurum in Turkey are also considering bids for the 2026 events.