Milano Cortina 2026 refutes unsubstantiated media reports stating organizing committee chief executive Vincenzo Novari is set to step down at a Board of Directors meeting on April 6.
A Milano Cortina 2026 spokesperson tells Around the Rings the previous reports are “some noise, gossip rumors” while assuring “we haven’t any news about changes in our future.”
Additionally, the spokesperson informs that Novari’s cooperation with Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) president Giovanni Malago is strong, and there aren’t any “strange signals” as work towards the 2026 Winter Games moves forward.
“The relationship between our president Mr. Malago and Vincenzo Novari is super and the relationship between Novari and our stakeholders is also very strong,” the spokesperson added.
The Italian newspaper La Repubblica initially reported about Novari’s expected departure due to a lack of experience in leading international sports entities. The news was then erroneously relayed by one Olympic trade media outlet
The Milano Cortina spokesperson also said Novari met Tuesday with Malago, as the two Italian sport leaders collaborated upon attaining critical domestic partners for the next Winter Games.
“The development of domestic sponsorship is too important – it’s a huge pillar for us and our sustainable economic model,” he said.
Since assuming the position of chief executive of the Milano Cortina 2026 Organizing Committee in November 2019, Novari has not only collaborated with Malago, but also with Veneto and Lombardy regions presidents Luca Zaia and Attilio Fontana, in addition to Milan and Cortina mayors Giuseppe Sala and Gianpietro Ghedina, all of whom were instrumental in Italy winning the bid over its Swedish opponent Stockholm-Are in June 2019.
The primary orders of business at the April 6 Board of Directors meeting include approving the 2021 financial statements and confirming the official budget for 2022, essentially a formality based upon a decision already taken in November 2021.
The 62-year-old Novari has previously served as chief executive of the Italian telecommunications company Tre Italia from 2001 to 2016, after it merged with Wind. Novari also founded the business services start-up SoftYou.
He now faces the responsibility of overseeing preparations for the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, while managing a given budget of $1.78 billion.
Events are set to take place across five separate competition clusters, spread across 22,000 square kilometers in northern Italy, in addition to a closing ceremony slated for the ancient city of Verona.
The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics are scheduled to take place between February 6-22, 2026, with the Paralympic Games following from March 6-15.
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