The Organizing Committee of the “MILAN-CORTINA 2026 TROPHIES – Education, Culture, and Sport for Youth,” partnered with “GenerAZIONE2026 – Sport powered by youth and education,” celebrates the success of the events at the Arena Brera in Milan, reinforcing the message of promoting sport and education among young people as part of the legacy of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Over 61,053 students from 118 different schools in Veneto and Lombardy, including 8,910 on the track at the Arena Brera in Milan.
The main objective of the “Milan Cortina 2026 Trophies – Education, Culture, and Sport for Youth” has always been to introduce young people to the values of Olympism, promoting inclusion, respect, and solidarity through sport. An educational initiative that, since its very first edition, has offered thousands of students the opportunity to enjoy a unique experience of personal and collective growth—free of charge. A true “legacy” of the Games (https://www.sportmoviestv.net/trofei-di-milano-cortina-2026-educazione-cultura-e-sport-per-i-giovani-2026/).
The 2026 edition marked a historic milestone: the participation of 61,053 students from 118 elementary and middle schools in Lombardy (60 schools) and Veneto (58 schools). The total number of students involved over the event’s 63-year history has reached three million seven hundred thousand, 52% of whom were girls in 2026.
A collective effort to promote Olympic and Paralympic values in an eco-sustainable and inclusive setting, culminating in the lighting of the cauldron in a packed Arena Brera (20,000 spectators over three days) by Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic gold medalist Elena Confortola, alongside Olympians Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri (pictured with Prof. Franco Ascani), accompanied by the Italian national anthem performed by the Fanfare of the 3rd Carabinieri Regiment and the Fanfare of the 1st Air Region.
The “GenerAZIONE 2026 – Sport Powered by Youth and Education” project, organized by FICTS (Fédération Internationale Cinéma Télévision Sportifs) in collaboration with the Regional School Office for Veneto, the Veneto Region, the Treviso–Belluno | Dolomiti Chamber of Commerce, and the Verona Chamber of Commerce, has strengthened the “twinning” partnership between Lombardy and Veneto. The initiative, aimed at schools in the provinces of Belluno, Treviso, Venice, Rovigo, Padua, Verona, and Vicenza, aims to promote active lifestyles.
The President of the Organizing Committee, Prof. Franco Ascani, President of FICTS and the only Italian member of the IOC Commission for Culture and Olympic Heritage, stated – Sports are alive and well in schools! The MILAN CORTINA 2026 TROPHIES with ‘GenerAZIONE2026’ are a concrete realization of the ‘legacy of the Games, an investment in the future.
Claudia Colla, Head of the European Commission’s Representation for Northern Italy, celebrated “Europe Day” (May 9). Numerous distinguished institutional and sports officials were present at the Arena, including: Attilio Fontana, President of the Lombardy Region; Bruno Molea, President of AICS Nazionale and President of CSIT; Mario Pozza, President of Assocamerestero and the Treviso-Belluno | Dolomiti Chamber of Commerce; Marco Riva, President of CONI Lombardy and Member of the CONI National Executive Committee. Representing the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation: Iacopo Mazzetti, Andrea Monti, Patrizia Silvestre, and Barbata Trivella; Vasiliki Pierrakea, Vice President of Fondazione Fiera; Martina Riva, Councilor for Sports of the City of Milan; Marino Vigna, Olympic Gold Medalist in Cycling (Rome ’60); Gianvincenzo Zuccotti, Director of the Department of Pediatrics at the Vittore Buzzi Children’s Hospital; Clarissa Cioni, Buona Spa Società Benefit.
