It seems like yesterday that I was blogging from the Summer Olympics in Paris, and yet we are coming up really fast to the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. For most of you, February of 2026 and these Olympics are still far enough out that they have probably not even crossed your minds, but for those of us heading to the Games, we are already one year into the planning. And this Olympics is going to be VERY different from any that I have ever covered.
The biggest challenge of these Winter Olympics is that the sports are scattered across the country with no easy way to travel from one cluster to another. If you look at the maps below, you will see that there are basically 5 clusters with different sporting competitions, and we have been told by the authorities that there will be almost no way to move from one cluster to another in a single day. They are telling us that the drive times can be 10 hours each way and that is if the weather is good.
So...what does this mean to me? This means that for the first time ever, I will be covering only a small selection of the sporting activities that are located in the city of Milan. You will also notice that the Opening Ceremony is in the city of Milan but even the Closing Ceremony is hours way in Verona.
Barring any unforeseen changes, I will be covering only Ice Hockey (as my primary sport for Team USA), Figure Skating, Short Track, and Speed Skating. I will very likely be at the Opening Ceremony but not sure if I will be at the Closing Ceremony (since it is hours from Milan, usually does not get over until after midnight, and it would likely take me hours to get transportation).
This is disappointing for me for the following reasons:
1. Even though ice hockey is my favorite sport, I love the challenge of covering as many different sports as I can at each Olympics.
2. I will miss the variety of sports photos as compared to all previous Winter Olympics.
3. I am sure that I will have FOMO (fear of missing out) when seeing all the other sports happening which I can not capture.
4. I will not be able to share as much variety with all of you.
With that said, I am already challenging myself to take this situation and turn it into a positive. Here are the advantages of the situation:
1. I can photograph more of the city and the Olympic fans from all over the world, capturing the Games from a different perspective (to share with all of you).
2. I will have more time to write blog posts (and check my spelling). :)
3. Maybe this will be my first and only Olympics where I do not have to run everywhere for 3 weeks.
In the mean time, I have completed the necessary credential process and been granted my EP (multi-sport) credentials for Milan. I have had access to the Extranet and been researching the logistics. I have also been in constant contact with the housing officials to get a press hotel near a train station. Like Paris, we will have to rely on the train system in Milan to get to the venues.
As you can see, we are already past the accommodation deadlines and they are assigning housing to the press.
This is the list of press hotels from which I could pick my top choices. I sent in my top 3 choices, but as often happens, I did not get any of those. Instead they put me in a place that was not ideal. After some back and forth with the accommodations team, I now have a hotel which is a 10 minute train ride from the main ice hockey venue and 50 minutes from the second venue.
Next on my list is to book flights, complete the contract with the team, and determine my schedule. I was recently notified by USA Hockey that the first women's game is the day BEFORE the Opening Ceremony, so I need to get there early enough to get time adjusted and be ready for press conferences and that game.
Regardless, I will be there with a smile on my face and ready to capture as much action as I can. After all, I get to be there on the glass, interact with so many amazing athletes, and see a lot of good on-ice action.
A good friend of mine has already purchased tickets to the men's gold medal game and the face value on those tickets are really high! See below.
As always, I will keep you all up-to-date with the Olympic plans, and I look forward to all of you following along once again.
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1 comment:
Hmm, Milano to Verona is 2hr drive, 2hr by train. This is by highway, even during olympics should be easily achievable.
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