2026 Olympics:Milan-Cortina day of truth

(ANSA) - Lausanne, June 24 - IOC members will decide on Monday whether a joint bid by Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo has won the right to host the 2026 Winter Olympics.
    Milan and Cortina, who are up against Sweden's Stockholm-Are bid, have a 100-strong delegation at the IOC's headquarters in Lausanne for Monday's vote.
    Giovanni Malagò, the head of Italian Olympic Committee CONI, and Cabinet Secretary Giancarlo Giorgetti, who has the government's sport portfolio, gave a technical presentation on the Italian bid in the morning.
    Premier Giuseppe Conte, meanwhile, will speak at a second presentation later in the day. IOC President Thomas Bach will announce who has won at 18:00.
    "Studies done by the Bocconi, La Sapienza, Ca' Foscari universities (in Milan, Rome and Venice respectively) say that the economic impact of an event like the Olympics is important for the economy of the regions (involved), for tourism," Giorgetti said after the presentation.
    "The Italian government gave all the (necessary) guarantees.
    "It believes sporting events can be an engine of economic and infrastructure development.
    "The whole country believes in our bid".
    Malagò said the first presentation went well.
    "Our answers were brilliant, effective," Malagò said.
    "The IOC members were happy with what we said.
    "They asked us about the post-Games legacy, the transport system, the possibility of agreements with African and Asian nations that are not very involved in the Winter Games and about all the guarantees".