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Italy’s Dolomiti Valtellina on target to host 2028 Winter Youth Olympic Games as IOC names it preferred candidate

In targeted dialogue, Dolomiti Valtellina 2028 will be further vetted for technical suitability before the IOC's Future Host Commission reports findings to the IOC Executive Board later this year

IOC Coordination Committee tours progress towards Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo Italy February 22, 2024 (IOC/X Photo)
IOC Coordination Committee tours progress towards Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo Italy February 22, 2024 (IOC/X Photo)

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board Saturday named Dolomiti Valtellina in Italy the preferred candidate to host the 2028 Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG).

IOC spokesperson Mark Adams made the announcement at a press briefing following the Executive Board meeting in Paris. The project, directed by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), is proposed to be staged in venues across Lombardy, Trentino and Veneto and will build on the legacy delivered for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

In targeted dialogue, Dolomiti Valtellina 2028 will be further vetted for technical suitability before the IOC’s Future Host Commission reports findings to the IOC Executive Board later this year.

Previously Bosnia and Herzegovina and Sofia in Bulgaria had expressed plans to bid for the YOG in 2028, but no other candidates were elevated to targeted dialogue by the IOC. In line with the new less-transparent bid process, details about other interested bidders were not disclosed

If the Executive Board approves plans, the bid can be forwarded to the next IOC Session for a membership election.

Future Host Commission chair Karl Stoss said “the vision for Dolomiti Valtellina 2028 is to pass the baton to, and empower, a new generation of athletes and leaders.

“The masterplan is based 100 per cent on existing venues in three clusters, in Valtellina, Val di Fiemme and Cortina. Out of ten competition venues, six will have been used by Milano Cortina.”

The Winter YOG debuted in Innsbruck, Austria in 2012 and has since been staged four times with the latest edition hosted by Gangwon, South Korea earlier this year.  The event includes athletes typically between the ages of 15 and 18.

A senior producer and award-winning journalist covering Olympic bid business as founder of GamesBids.com as well as providing freelance support for print and Web publications around the world. Robert Livingstone is a member of the Olympic Journalists Association and the International Society of Olympic Historians.

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