Future Olympic Winter Games Hosts Agree to Share

MILAN — At a time of political tension around the world, the Olympic Games serves as an opportunity to unite. At least that’s the grand vision of the largest and perhaps most significant sporting event in the world when it comes to sports diplomacy.

But in a board room 13 floors above Milan with views of the mountains in the distance — and just hours before the Opening Ceremony — political and civic leaders from Milan, the French Côte d’Azur hosts in 2030 and the state of Utah hosts in 2034 gathered to put those lofty aspirations to work. At a meeting of leaders from each region, officials codified a formal agreement to share their best practices on their current and upcoming Games. The agreement includes pledges of cooperation on a variety of fronts, including issues related to infrastructure improvements, environmental impact and even academia as the University of Utah and the Université Côte d’Azur are also partners on the deal.

And it was telling that Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, began his remarks with a clear distinction about the effort his region wants to make to be helpful and aligned with his Olympic counterparts.

“I’m not the president of the United States and none of you are president of your country,” said Cox, who looked the part of a Utah governor in his puffy vest in a room full of tailored suits. “Whatever is happening there, if we can unify at this level, it will help up there as well. And we want to set that example as representatives of the United States, as representatives of the state of Utah, that you are our allies, and you are our friends and you have been for many, many years. We hope that we will be friends and allies for many years to come. And the Olympic Games are a way for us to come together.”

In addition Cox, Utah 2034 was represented at the meeting by host committee Chairman Fraser Bullock, who also led the logistical efforts when the region hosted in 2002.

It was also notable that despite affirmations and speeches from officials of the other organizations in the room, Cox’s comments were the only ones that received applause.

“This is a great example of how the Games bring us together,” said Damien Combredet-Blassel, ambassador for sport at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, who also attended the ceremony. “This is a formidable example of that but also of sport diplomacy through local authorities, through local initiatives, local universities. This is friendship and diplomacy in action.”

Shared Mountain Geography

At stake for the leaders of all three Olympic efforts in Italy, France and Utah is a chance to learn about how each used or plans to use the Games in their regions, which all share a mountain geography that brings specific challenges.

“We are all mountain lovers,” said Fabrice Pannekoucke, the president of the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Region of France. “We have the financial means to give flesh to our operation. We are working beyond the Olympic Games. How are we going to reorganize our mountain territories? That is the key question.”

To that extent, he noted that the learnings across each group will be varied.

“It’s about finance and the economy, but also a social side: quality of life and respect for the mountains, which are a key heritage we share in our territories,” he said.

An Increase in Tourism

In Milan, leaders noted that the Olympic Games has indeed proved a catalyst for economic development. The athlete’s village will be turned into student housing after the Games, noted Attilio Fontana, president of the Lombardy Region that includes Milan. And other efforts have come from hosting, including investment in the city’s railway system, road network and sports venues.

“The legacy from the Olympic Games will mainly consist of public works that were needed,” he said. “Basically, the Olympic Games acted as an accelerator for works that had been long overdue or long needed.”

He also cited visitation in his list of accomplishments from hosting the Games. Milan has seen a 58 percent increase in hotel bookings in January and February 2026 compared to the year prior, and an increase in foreign visitation by 70 percent from that same period, he said.

“We can already say we are getting some initial feedback or some initial tangible response from tourism,” he said.

‘Thousands of Decisions’

In concluding his remarks, Cox noted that the sharing of knowledge — and the willingness to share in itself — will help each region accomplish its mission.

“We are all very excited about the events, and we know the events will take care of themselves,” he said. “We have the best athletes in the world competing against each other. But we also know the secret is the thousands of decisions made behind the scenes that determine whether it is a successful Games or not a successful Games. We hope that as we work together as the Italians, the French and the Americans that we will make those thousands of decisions better than they’ve ever been made before.”