ANOC President message on success of Milano Cortina 2026
Dear friends,
As some of you NOCs who also serve as NPCs turn your attention to the next instalment of Milano Cortina 2026, we wanted to take this moment to reflect on what was a hugely successful Olympic Games for Italy, the 92 NOC participating NOCs and the Olympic Movement.
Every NOC and their athletes who competed at the Olympic Games proudly represented their countries and the Olympic Movement. It was not just the 27 NOCs that won medals who contributed to the success of Milano Cortina 2026 , it was every one of the 92 NOCs. Every athlete who stepped onto the snow and ice embodied the very best of the Olympic values.
It was a Games that celebrated all NOCs – big and small, traditional winter nations and emerging talents. We saw Benin, Guinea-Bissau and the United Arab Emirates compete at an Olympic Winter Games for the very first time. We saw Brazil and Georgia claim their first-ever Winter Games medals. And we saw winter powerhouses like Norway and the USA excel at the top of the medal table while hosts Italy achieved their best ever Winter Games performance.
Once again, the Olympic Games demonstrated its unique power to bring athletes from around the world together in peaceful competition. While athletes were spread across six distinct Olympic Villages, the positive atmosphere and camaraderie remained as strong as ever.
With the Games spread across eight territories, Milano Cortina 2026 provided the most breathtaking backdrops for the athletes’ fantastic performances, adding to the spectacle of the occasion and elevating the images of the Games for all those watching in person and at home. ANOC was proud to partner with the IOC and Getty Images to deliver the NOC Photo Programme, which provided 35 NOCs with high-quality competition imagery and innovative digital distribution services, enabling NOCs to showcase their athletes’ performances and bring Olympic moments closer to fans across the globe.
We were also pleased to see our partnership with Peak get underway at the Games with uniforms provided for Malta and Benin. We look forward to expanding this partnership significantly at the upcoming Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, where we expect 47 NOCs to benefit from the programme.
It was a truly unforgettable Games and we offer our congratulations to all the NOCs, to the IOC, to the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) and to the Milano Cortina 2026 Organising Committee for making it such a great success. But for those of you for whom the Olympic Games was the first of two instalments we wish you and your athletes the very best of luck at the Paralympic Games.
Photo copyright: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
