(ATR) An Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) spokesperson confirmed to Around the Ringsthat it will present a 2026 Winter Olympics bid to the IOC tomorrow from Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Originally, CONI had planned to have a three city bid with Cortina, Milan, and 2006 host Turin.
Today, following political discussions between the three cities, Turin has dropped out of the race.
CONI President Giovanni Malago will meet with Subsecretary of State for Sport Giancarlo Giorgetti, and present an updated plan.
Earlier in the day Giorgetti reportedly told the Italian senate that the three-city plan was "dead".
"I think that with an important thing like an Olympic bid, a spirit of agreement must prevail and I have not found that in the three cities," Giorgetti said, reported by ANSA. "That's why the government does not think that a bid as formulated up to now can go any further."
Political differences between Turin and the other two bid cities ultimately led to the split in the 2026 bid. Mayor Chiara Appendino, is a member of the 5-star movement, the same party that torpedoed the Rome 2024 bid.
The governors of the Veneto and Lombardy region put out a joint statement saying they would go forward with the two city bid in wake of Torino's departure. Veneto governorLuca Zaia and Lombardy governor Attilio Fontana said it was "unthinkable" to throw away the bid having done so much work.
"The bid should be saved, which is why we are willing to carry forward this challenge together," the statement said. "If Turin is pulling out, and we are sorry, at this point, two realities are left, Veneto and Lombardy, so we'll keep going with the Lombardy-Veneto Olympics".
Written by Aaron Bauer
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