Prince Albert II attended the opening of the 145th International Olympic Committee session at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala on Monday, three days before the city launches the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The IOC gathering brought together Olympic leadership ahead of Thursday’s opening ceremony at San Siro stadium. Milano Cortina 2026 represents the first Winter Olympics under IOC President Kirsty Coventry, the Zimbabwean former swimming champion who took office in 2024 and close friend of Princess Charlene and Prince Albert.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Coventry both addressed the session, emphasising sport’s unifying role and Olympic values of peace, respect and excellence as the Winter Games return to Italy for the first time since Turin 2006.
First Games under Olympic Agenda 2020
Milano Cortina 2026 marks a milestone as the first Winter Olympics designed and organised entirely under the Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms, from bidding through delivery. The reforms emphasise sustainability, legacy planning and maximising use of existing venues.
The Games run from 6th to 22nd February, with more than 3,500 athletes from 93 countries competing for 195 medals across 16 disciplines. Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo will co-host in a historic first for the Winter Olympics, sharing duties across 15 venues.
Prince Albert’s Olympic legacy
Prince Albert has been an IOC member since 1986, continuing a family tradition begun by his grandfather Pierre de Polignac and father Prince Rainier III. He competed in five Winter Olympics between 1988 and 2002 in bobsleigh, establishing Monaco’s presence in winter sports.
Monaco has participated in every Winter Olympics since 1984, with its best result coming at Beijing 2022 when bobsledders Rudy Rinaldi and Boris Vain finished sixth in the two-man event.
New events debut
The 2026 Games feature 116 medal events including ski mountaineering’s Olympic debut – the first new winter discipline since skeleton in 2002. Women’s participation reaches a Winter Olympics record of 47%, and NHL players return to ice hockey for the first time since 2014.
Competition actually begins on Tuesday with curling’s mixed doubles, two days before Thursday’s opening ceremony. The Games conclude on 22nd February at Verona Arena, with the handover to the French Alps for 2030.
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Photos: Roy Esterhuysen / Quinton Meyer, IOCÂ