Milano Cortina tickets seen in demand despite prices
The Olympics will run from Feb. 6 to 22, 2026, with the Paralympics to follow in March. The Games will be co-hosted by Milan and the Alpine town of Cortina d'Ampezzo.
The lowest ticket price will be €30 ($32.9) while 57% of tickets will be sold at prices of up to €100, the organizers said. For the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, around 50% of tickets were sold for €50 or less.
Prices climb to €1,400 for the men's ice hockey final — the most expensive sporting event of the Games — and up to €1,200 for the figure skating gala.
In Paris, the most expensive tickets, which were for the men's basketball final and some athletics sessions including the one featuring the men's 100 meters, were priced at €980.
Rising ticket prices for major events are a common complaint among sports fans.
The closing ceremony, to be held in the city of Verona, will be the most expensive event of the Winter Games, with prices ranging from €950 to €2,900. Tickets for the opening ceremony in Milan will range from €260 to €2,026.
However, the cost has not dampened enthusiasm so far.
The success of the first phase of sale in early February, when limited numbers of tickets were available, led organizers to add a second sales window in late February.
"Purchasing tickets was a smooth and easy process," said Ed Schneider Jr., who lives in New York State and bought in the early window.
"However, the prices I encountered for the figure skating and short track tickets, the preliminary rounds, are extremely high," he added.
In these two sales windows, 613,000 tickets were sold, the organizers said, just over 40% of total capacity.
"In addition to the large number of tickets sold in Italy, significant demand has come from Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the Netherlands and France," they added.
For the Paralympic Winter Games, whose general ticket sales started on March 6, 90% of tickets are priced at up to €35. At Paris' Paralympic Summer Games around 50% of tickets were sold at €25 or less.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
a day ago
- Japan Times
Thompson out of sprint showdown with Lyles in Lausanne
Olympic silver medalist Kishane Thompson will not run in the 100 meters at the Lausanne Diamond League on Wednesday, with media reports citing shin discomfort as the reason for the Jamaican's absence. Thompson won the much-anticipated rematch with Noah Lyles at Saturday's Diamond League meeting in Silesia, after the American beat Thompson by five thousandths of a second at last year's Olympic final, but there will be no repeat showdown in Switzerland. Saturday's race was the pair's first meeting since the Paris final, with Lyles' season delayed by an ankle injury. Thompson came out on top in a time of 9.87 seconds, with the American posting his best time of the season, coming second in 9.90. Thompson is unlikely to run again before the world championships in Tokyo in September. He is currently the man to beat after clocking 9.75 at the Jamaican championships in June. Lyles will have another Jamaican rival to contend with in Lausanne, facing Oblique Seville, who beat the American when Lyles made his first 100m appearance of the season at the London Diamond League meet in July. Another Jamaican, world champion Shericka Jackson, is also absent from the women's 200 meters starting list in Lausanne. Jackson posted a season-best time of 22.17 in Silesia on Saturday to win the 200m.
Asahi Shimbun
2 days ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Para ice hockey team pleads for funds in quest to reach '26 Games
Players from Japan's national para ice hockey team collide during a practice on Feb. 22 in Okaya, Nagano Prefecture. (Koichiro Yoshida) Japan's struggling national hockey team of disabled players has run into a new problem that threatens to put its Winter Paralympic dreams on ice. The para ice hockey team failed to secure sufficient subsidies to fund its travel and other expenses for the world championships scheduled for September in Kazakhstan. Japan must finish high in the Kazakhstan tournament to advance to the final world qualifier in November in Norway. But if the team cannot even get to Kazakhstan, it will have no chance to play in Norway, let alone the Milano Cortina Winter Paralympics in March 2026. The team started a crowdfunding campaign on July 1 in a last-ditch effort to raise money. The Japan Para Ice Hockey Association is also calling for extensive public assistance. 'We cannot leave the athletes with no choice but to give up their dream simply due to financial reasons,' said an association representative in charge of promoting the sport and the national team. Called 'Mirai e Tsuzuku Hyojo No Chosen o Oen!' (Support their challenging path on ice toward the future!), the crowdfunding drive set a goal of 12 million yen ($80,000). Players and staff members each need an average of 750,000 yen for traveling, accommodation and equipment transportation expenses at the world championships. The entire team needs an estimated 18 million yen in personal expenditures. If the fund-raising campaign fails to reach the target, the players are expected to cover all the costs by themselves. Team members are asking for support on social media while spreading the appeal of para ice hockey by sharing personal messages. Only eight countries will be represented in para ice hockey at the 2026 Paralympics. Italy already has an automatic berth as host country of the Games. In world para ice hockey rankings, Japan is placed in the B-Pool of nations placed ninth to 14th. Japan must finish as one of the top teams in the B-Pool at the Kazakhstan world championships to join the final qualifying round in Norway. In the final qualifier, Japan is expected to battle the lowest-ranking teams from the A-Pool for the remaining two spots in the Paralympic Games. The Japanese team's dire financial situation originates from its struggles on the rink. The amount of subsidies allocated for each sport by the Japanese Paralympic Committee is determined by performances in the Games and other competitions. Japan's para hockey team won a silver medal at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Paralympics and qualified for four consecutive Games since Nagano in 1998. But the team has had lackluster results recently and failed to qualify for major international tournaments. Para ice hockey is no longer covered by the Japan Sports Agency's program to pour resources into especially important sports in the run-up to the Milano Cortina Winter Paralympics. The lack of funds has made it increasingly difficult for the team to arrange games with other countries. On top of this, team players need to bear nearly all participation costs for the specialized training camp organized twice a month. 'It is no longer possible for us to gain ample experience on the international stage due to our cash shortage, which has, in turn, undermined our performance,' said Satoru Sudo, 54, a director of the Japan Para Ice Hockey Association, who is playing a central role in the crowdfunding drive. 'We are now caught in a vicious spiral.' But there are some rays of hope for para ice hockey in Japan. New talent has emerged in recent years, and teenagers are now key players on the national team. One of them, Itsuki Ito, 19, became the first Japanese named MVP in the B-Pool of the 2023 world championships. Following his graduation from high school, Ito received a scholarship to study in the United States. He now aims to build a global hockey career by refining his skills with a local team. Veteran players, including Sudo, are also going strong. Sudo, who has competed in three straight Paralympics since the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, remains active as a national team member and a long-standing pillar for Japan in the sport. 'I feel a sense of crisis that unless we do whatever it takes, para ice hockey may disappear as a sport from Japan,' he said. 'We will be appealing exhaustively to the general public, keeping in mind not only individuals who want to take up para ice hockey but also people who find the sport intriguing to watch.' The dedicated crowdfunding site is available in Japanese at ( Donations start from 10,000 yen. Those who provide 1 million yen will be eligible for a uniform signed by participating players and other staff members. The deadline is Aug. 31.
Yomiuri Shimbun
4 days ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Can Japan's Once-Strong Olympic Spirit Be Restored?; New JOC President Hashimoto Faces a Challenge
In June, the Japan Olympic Committee selected Seiko Hashimoto, 60, as its new president. Hashimoto is a member of the House of Councillors and a former president of the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. She became the first female president of the JOC not long after the International Olympic Committee elected its own first female president, Kirsty Coventry, in March of this year. How Hashimoto will revitalize the Olympic movement in Japan is a topic of great interest. The JOC presidential election was held on June 26, following the resignation of President Yasuhiro Yamashita. Since the JOC became independent from the Japan Sports Association (now the Japan Sport Association) in 1989, it has been customary for candidates to be narrowed down to a single choice behind the scenes. But this time, the selection was made by a vote for the first time in history. The three candidates were Hashimoto plus former Japan Football Association President Kozo Tashima, 67, and Japan Basketball Association President Yuko Mitsuya, 66. During a closed-door board meeting, each candidate stated their goals. Hashimoto won a majority of the votes in a secret ballot by the board members. Hashimoto participated in a total of seven Summer and Winter Olympics in speed skating and cycling. At the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics, she won a bronze medal in the women's 1,500-meter speed skating event. She has also served as a member of the House of Councillors since 1995 and is currently in her sixth term. During that time, she has served as minister for the Olympics and Paralympics, as well as president of the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Within domestic sports organizations, she has served as president of the Japan Skating Federation, and vice president of the JOC. She is currently also president of the Japan Rifle Shooting Association and the Japan Cycling Federation. At a press conference after her election, Hashimoto said: 'As the first female president of the JOC, I feel a great sense of responsibility. The JOC is in crisis. I want to propose reform plans. It is our mission to demonstrate Japan's ability to host the Olympics again and prepare for it.' The Olympic movement in Japan certainly is in crisis. Following the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in 2021, corruption and collusion scandals surrounding the Games were exposed, tarnishing the Olympic brand. In the aftermath of this, Sapporo, which had been bidding to host the 2030 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, announced in October 2023 that it was withdrawing its bid. In December of the same year, the city also announced the 'suspension' of future bid activities. Considering this situation, three Japanese companies — Toyota Motor Corp., Panasonic Holdings Corp. and Bridgestone Corp. — withdrew from the IOC's top-tier sponsorship program, allowing their contracts to expire last year. This marks the first time that there are no Japanese companies as top-tier sponsors. Japan's presence in the international Olympic movement has never been weaker. Traditionally, Japan has been the non-Western country that best understands, participates in, and supports the Olympic movement. Jigoro Kano, the founding father of judo, was elected the first Asian member of the IOC in May 1909. Japan made its Olympic debut at the fifth edition of the Games, the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. Furthermore, Japan hosted the first Olympics ever held in Asia in Tokyo in 1964, followed by a second Tokyo Olympics in 2021. It also hosted the Winter Olympics in Sapporo in 1972 and in Nagano in 1998. With a total of four Summer and Winter Olympics, Japan ranks third in the world in terms of the number of times it has hosted the Games. Only the United States, with eight Games, and France, with six, have been Olympic hosts more often. The latest Tokyo Olympics were particularly challenging, as they were postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and were held mostly without spectators. In May of this year, Thomas Bach, the former president of the IOC, visited Japan to attend a ceremony at which he received the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun. He praised the Tokyo Olympics, saying: 'The fact that the Games could be held was largely due to Japan's values of strength in the face of adversity and a sense of responsibility. In that time of crisis, we delivered the most precious gift of hope to the world.' He also expressed his gratitude in Japanese, saying, 'Thank you very much, everyone.' However, even though the Tokyo Games were highly praised around the world, they became a catalyst for dampening the Olympic movement in Japan due to corruption scandals. Bach was among the people who encouraged Hashimoto to run for JOC president. During his May visit, he told her: 'The president of the JOC should be an Olympian. Seiko must run for the presidency.' One reason Sapporo's bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics failed was a lack of coordination between the JOC and the IOC. This strong encouragement from the IOC leadership must have motivated Hashimoto to run for president. Upon taking office, Hashimoto wasted no time in taking action. On Aug. 6, she and other JOC executives attended the Peace Memorial Ceremony at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, held on the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of that city. The purpose was to reflect on the Olympics' role in promoting a peaceful society through sports. It was the first time the JOC had participated in such an event. Hashimoto took part in a moment of silence at 8:15 a.m., the time the atomic bomb was dropped, and offered a prayer at the memorial cenotaph. She stated: 'The IOC is committed to promoting lasting world peace. As an organization that walks alongside the IOC, the JOC is dedicated to contributing to peace, and it is with this mindset that we attended the ceremony.' Hashimoto was born on Oct. 5, 1964, five days before the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics that year. Her given name, Seiko, is said to have been chosen in reference to the Olympic flame, called 'seika' in Japanese. Having participated in seven Summer and Winter Olympics, Hashimoto has been called the 'child of the Olympics.' In a sense, she is poised to be a key figure in the revival of the Olympic movement in Japan. As the first female president of the JOC, and someone who is deeply connected to the Olympics, will she be able to spark a movement to bring the Olympics and Paralympics back to Japan? We look forward to seeing what she will accomplish. Political Pulse appears every Saturday. Yuji Kondo Yuji Kondo is a senior writer in the Sports Department of The Yomiuri Shimbun
