With just hours to go before the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Italian President Sergio Mattarella met with the national team at the Olympic Village in Milan, delivering a message of encouragement and reflection.
“The first competition is with yourself and your own limits, to overcome them and to improve,” Mattarella told the athletes. “Only then comes the competition with others.” He stressed that while medals are important, what truly matters is how athletes compete: with commitment, integrity and respect for others. “The Olympic Games offer the world an extraordinary display of coexistence, friendship, humanity and seriousness,” he said.
The president also reminded athletes that simply qualifying for the Olympics is already a major achievement. “Being selected, being part of the team and taking part in the Games is an authentic success,” he said, while acknowledging their ambition to achieve further results.
As Italy prepares for the official start of the Games, international figures have also voiced their support. US Vice President JD Vance, in Milan with his family, met with American athletes, describing the Olympics as “one of the few things that truly unite the entire country.” He noted that Americans of all political backgrounds rally behind their athletes.
Vance is set to attend a preliminary women’s ice hockey match between the United States and the Czech Republic. Meanwhile, anticipation is building in Milan as the Olympic torch completes its journey. Carried by 10,001 torchbearers across more than 12,000 kilometres and all 63 Italian provinces, the flame will arrive beneath Milan’s Duomo later today.
The opening ceremony will take place on Friday 6 February at 8 p.m. at San Siro Stadium. Milan-Cortina 2026 is ready to begin, promising sport, emotion and a shared message: true victory lies in effort, respect and the courage to push beyond one’s limits.