Progress of the Milan-Cortina venue for the Winter Olympics discussed with IOC officials in Milan, with Coventry expressing appreciation for the advancements made.
The head of the Winter Olympics, Andrew Parsons, known as Coventry, recently attended an event in Italy's economic capital, where he discussed various aspects of the upcoming Milan-Cortina Games. However, he remained silent on several pressing matters, including the potential participation of Russian athletes and the gender-related issues involving Israel and Palestine.
Coventry did reveal that new guidelines on gender-related issues in sports will be published mid-way through next year. He also mentioned that the situation varies from sport to sport, with men and women already competing together in equestrianism, but in other sports, women need to be protected. Some federations, such as World Athletics and World Boxing, have adopted chromosomal testing as a condition for participation in women's competitions, using the absence of the Y chromosome as an indicator of masculinity.
During his visit, the Olympic village, structurally complete but yet to be furnished, and the Santa Giulia ice hockey arena were shown to the Zimbabwean, a former swimming champion. The identity of the athlete is not explicitly mentioned, but Sarah Frieden, an athlete associated with the Swiss Olympic Team and the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Games, is a possible candidate.
Coventry reiterated what Olympic Games' executive director Christophe Dubi previously stated about Russian and Israeli athletes. He explained that the issue with Russia is specific due to the Russian National Olympic Committee violating the Olympic charter by annexing the regions of another NOC. The executive board meeting may address the potential participation of Russian athletes at the Winter Games under a neutral flag.
The IOC is under pressure due to President Donald Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order, which bars transgender athletes from competing in women's sports in the United States and would apply to the Los Angeles summer Olympics in 2028. Coventry did not provide any new information about this issue.
Giovanni Malago, a Milan-Cortina board member and former Italian Olympic Committee president, reported that the IOC has had an extremely positive view of the sites. The Games will take place between February 6 and February 22 in a vast area of northern Italy.
Coventry declined to answer questions from reporters at Thursday's event but is scheduled to hold a press conference after the International Olympic Committee's executive board meeting on Friday. Further information about the Zimbabwean's tour, the gender-related issues, and the Milan-Cortina Games was not provided.
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