The winter season in Cortina d’Ampezzo closed with highly positive results, marked by numerous international competitions and test events, starting with the Women’s Alpine Skiing World Cup.
The Cortina Audi FIS Ski World Cup 2025, held on January 18–19 on the iconic Olympia delle Tofane, served as a successful test event for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Fondazione Cortina once again proved its excellence in managing world-class events: a perfectly prepared course and finish area, safety and medical services meeting Olympic standards, and an experienced operational team of over 90 professionals and 120 volunteers, working closely with local partners. The IOC (International Olympic Committee) and Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 were able to directly verify Cortina’s ability to host high-profile international sporting events.
This World Cup stage attracted 11.000 spectators, not only from Veneto but also from other Italian regions and abroad, highlighting both the area’s appeal and the efficiency of its infrastructure in welcoming athletes, fans, and professionals. The event’s resonance extended far beyond the Dolomites thanks to outstanding media and digital coverage: social media interactions reached record levels with 12,6 million views, while 217 accredited media outlets, both Italian and international, brought Cortina and the World Cup races onto the global stage.
Strong focus was placed on future generations: 600 young athletes from Veneto ski clubs, 1.000 students from local schools, and 21 students from the ITS Academy Turismo Veneto took part in an educational pathway during the event—an essential step to nurture sports professionals and leverage the opportunities of the 2026 Games.
The event also stood out as a model of inclusion and accessibility, thanks to the collaboration between Fondazione Cortina, the Veneto Region, the Municipality of Cortina, and several volunteer associations. The slogan “sNOw DIFFERENCE”, displayed on athletes’ bibs, reaffirmed—following the 2024 experience—the commitment to barrier-free sport.
The accommodation data was also significant: 1.740 overnight stays were recorded in facilities directly managed by Fondazione Cortina, with an average stay of four nights per person, in addition to the many guests who booked independently.
But the Women’s Alpine Skiing World Cup was not the only major event of Cortina’s 2024–2025 winter season.
Two major snowboarding competitions, organized operationally by Snowboard Club Cortina, were also staged: the Parallel Giant Slalom World Cup in December on Faloria, and the Snowboard Cross World Cup on the San Zan slope at Socrepes. Both competitions are now fixtures in the international calendar, with the finals held at night, adding an extra level of spectacle.
Between March and April, the season finale featured ski mountaineering and curling.
On March 30, the Cortina Skimo Cup took place on a spectacular course set up in the Faloria area, valid in 2025 as the Italian Team Championships. After three editions in the Falzarego – Col Gallina area, the decision to enhance another part of the valley proved successful.
From April 12 to 21, the Olympic Ice Stadium hosted the World Junior Curling Championships, another test event for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Thirteen nations competed in the renovated venue: Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Norway, Scotland, the United States, Sweden, and Switzerland. Over 150 volunteers collaborated in the organization, managed by Fondazione Milano Cortina with the support of Fondazione Cortina.
The stands saw nearly 2,000 children and young people, from primary to high school, attending on various days. This initiative was part of the wider School Project—a program within Milano Cortina 2026’s GEN26 Education Program, developed in close collaboration with the Veneto Region and carried out by Fondazione Cortina for the third consecutive season. Its goal is to pass on the values of sport, engage young people with the territory, and offer them opportunities to experience the mountains and their events.
“We are extremely satisfied with the work accomplished and the results achieved, a success acknowledged by institutions, athletes, and fans alike. The past winter’s events—many of them test events—confirmed that Cortina d’Ampezzo is ready for the challenges of 2026, thanks to a well-established organization and extraordinary synergy between institutions, businesses, and the local community,” said Stefano Longo, President of Fondazione Cortina.