Milan Cortina’s wide footprint reshapes the Olympic experience

MILAN (AP) — The head of Haiti's ski federation, Thierry Montiller, spent over four hours driving mountain roads from Bormio, near the Swiss border, where his downhill skier is competing in the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, to Tesero in Val di Fiemme for his cross-country skier’s 10-kilometer race on Friday.

And he's headed back to Bormio on Saturday, another 220 kilometers (140 miles), for the giant slalom race.

“Yes, it is a major difficulty to have such distances,’’ he said.

Winter Olympics have often had city and mountain clusters, but these Games spread the mountain clusters over a much wider area, and the distance to the city is considerably farther. In total, competitions are taking place in a 22,000 square kilometer (8,500 square mile) swath of northern Italy, making this the most spread-out in Winter Games history.

Reviews so far are mixed and, at very least, this model will take some getting used to. There are advantages: avoiding massive public investment in venues that get little use after the Games; easier access for locals; and distributing tourists' dollars across the region. Still, after the first week, it seems that not everyone is a fan.

Bob Grover came from Portland, Oregon, to stay in Cortina for two weeks. He remembers going to the 2010 Games, where all the Alpine events were in Whistler and ice events in Vancouver — less than two hours apart. Not so in the Alps, where downhill sports are at different locations.

"It’s like, why isn’t it all in Cortina?" said Grover, 64, who owns a landscaping business. “Maybe they split it up so more of Italy could get the benefit. I understand the economic impact of that, so I won’t complain. But I’d like to go to more events.”

His wife, Theresa Kirsch, 63, lamented that the tradition of male downhill skiers cheering on their female teammates, and vice versa, in these Games would entail an 8-hour round-trip drive.

U.S. snowboarder Red Gerard had 11 days between his first two days of Olympic competition and was eager for a change of scenery. His sister arranged a celebratory meal with a Michelin-starred chef for 55 people in his extended family and guests, but it meant driving 3 1/2 hours to Milan, where they spent a couple of days, before returning to Livigno “to put his game face on.”

“Sometimes, I wish I was in Milan,’’ said Gerard. “It’s just a little harder to get the full Olympic experience. … It just takes a little more work.’’

The Olympic universe better get used to this model, because that’s the way it will be going forward.

The 2030 Winter Games will hold snow events in the Alps, the closing ceremony in Nice and speed-skating abroad. The 2034 Games will be in Utah, as opposed to Salt Lake City in 2002, when the medals plaza was held in the state capital each evening. The 2038 Winter Games will span the entire nation of Switzerland, without city anchors.

For some fans, the dispersion of venues has proven an opportunity to get on the road and see off-the-beaten-path locations in a country where, in many places, overtourism has become a problem. That's especially true if money or time (or both) are of little concern.

Tyler Thostenson, 36, and his mother expect to spend up to $20,000 for their 12-day itinerary from Milan to Livigno, stopping for lunch in St. Moritz, Switzerland, before winding their way to Cortina for curling. Next stop: Milan, for speed skating and U.S. men’s hockey.

This is their fourth Olympics. While the 2014 Sochi Games and 2018 PyeongChang Olympics provided single mountain clusters, they have embraced the Milan Cortina adventure.

“We’re lucky that we have a rental car, so we can actually stop in some of the smaller villages, and not just look out of a frosted-up bus window or train. It’s been nice to explore more of the countryside,’’ Thostenson said.

International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry praised the model on Friday, after spending two days in Cortina d’Ampezzo, where she saw Italian standout Federica Brignone win a gold medal in the super-G.

“Yes, it’s a little spread out, but the feeling of the Games is for me very magical,’’ Coventry told reporters in Milan. She acknowledged that the 400-kilometer (250-mile) drive to the Dolomites “wasn’t the most comfortable, right? But it was fun."

Unlike in other games, there isn't a geographic emotional center to the 2026 Winter Games in either Cortina and Milan, since both serve as anchors to five other venues.

In Milan, where venues are spread along the city’s outskirts and suburbs, the Leonardo da Vinci-inspired Olympic cauldron is the closest thing to a heart for the 2026 Games. It has become a gathering place for sporting fans and curiosity-seeking locals alike; they gather each night not to see sports, but rather a sound-and-light show against the backdrop of a Napoleonic arch.

But there's been an unexpected benefit: in past Olympic Games, that center has been the plaza where medals were distributed at the end of the day. Since the distances make bringing everyone together impossible, instead, spectators have been granted instant emotional payoff: medal ceremonies immediately after each event.

Kathy McCabe saw the U.S. figure skating team receive its gold medals on Sunday after a thrilling competition at the Assago skating arena. At the 2006 Games, she saw Shaun White win gold in the halfpipe, but not the medal draped over his chest.

“There was a lot more emotion to see the medal ceremony just a few minutes after the Americans won, and to see that raw emotion,’’ said McCabe, producer of the PBS series Dream of Italy. “It was really close and there were some beautiful performances.”

That snow events are held in several mountain towns means athletes, including South African cross-country skier Matt Smith, are removed from the Olympic glitz and happy to have that peace. He appreciates the intimacy in the 1,000-person village of Predazzo.

“I have gained a pukka Olympic experience, and I’m very grateful for it,’’ said Smith, using British slang for “amazing.”

Douglas reported from Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Brian Melley in Predazzo, Italy and Jennifer McDermott in Cortina contributed to this report.

A view of the Olympic cauldron at the Arco della Pace, during the evening light show, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Annie Risemberg)

IOC President Kirsty Coventry waves as she carries the Olympic torch, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Italy's Federica Brignone, center, gold medalist in an alpine ski, women's super-G race, celebrates with silver medalist France's Romane Miradoli, left, and bronze medalist Austria's Cornelia Huetter, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

FILE - Olympic snowboarder Red Gerard unveils Ralph Lauren's Team USA opening ceremony uniform for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics at Ralph Lauren headquarters, Dec. 3, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

Bulgaria's Radoslav Yankov competes against Slovenia's Tim Mastnak during the men's snowboarding parallel giant slalom qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

MILAN (AP) — At the Milan Cortina Olympic Games, winning medals isn’t the only thing making hearts swell. From the ice rinks to the snowy hills, love is in the frozen air.

Some competitions already seem to have Cupid in attendance.

Dutch skater Jutta Leerdam set an Olympic record in the 1000-meter race, then turned to find her fiancé Jake Paul in the stands; both visibly weeping, they made heart signs to one another with their hands. And downhill skiing champion Breezy Johnson ’s longtime boyfriend proposed to her near the finish line Thursday while surrounded by members of the U.S. Ski Team.

Valentine's Day for athletes and attendees at the Games doesn't usually mean grand gestures, but it's no less special.

Valentine’s Day is the finals for the women’s skeleton event. That means that Kim Meylemans of Belgium and Nicole Rocha Silveira of Brazil — an international couple who play for their separate national teams — will be too busy for a romantic dinner. They told The Associated Press they didn’t even bring gifts to exchange.

But since they are together all the time, “It’s always a bit of a Valentine's Day," Meylemans said. “It is part of our sport every day, our love.”

The two feel fortunate their national Olympic committees arranged for them to bunk together at Cortina's Olympic village, since typically only teammates share housing. Half their room is decorated for Belgium, the other half Brazil.

Rocha Silveira was new to the sport in 2019 when Meylemans was already competing in World Cup races. They fell in love during the pandemic while sharing short-term rentals, since many hotels closed.

Fast forward to 2024, and they unknowingly bought identical engagement rings and planned proposals for the same boat trip in Brazil while on vacation. They married last August.

When they compete, they high-five and kiss before each run, wishing the other well.

“It doesn’t matter which one is on the podium. At the end of the day, it’s a victory for our team," Meylemans said.

Rocha Silveira said it’s important their relationship appears during these Games in Italy, where same-sex marriages aren't recognized and only married heterosexual couples are allowed to jointly adopt.

It’s a great place to “show it even more,” and “encourage and inspire people that they can be themselves,” she said.

Lori and Curtis Brown have been married for over 30 years and will be spend Valentine's Day at the skating arena where they are volunteering for this year’s Winter Olympics.

About 18,000 volunteers are spread across the venues in northern Italy — a sea of navy blue uniforms keeping the Olympics running around the clock, with duties such as giving directions, accompanying athletes to venues, crowd control and medical support.

Curtis, 60, said neither of them had realized they were scheduled to work. Now, they're hoping they can coincide their breaks to have dinner together, perhaps surrounded by the rest of the volunteers, he joked.

“This is the most special Valentine’s Day of our lives,” Curtis said. “Because we’re both here, we’re both on the same page, we’re both enjoying this adventure together.”

While presents are neither’s love language, Lori, 61, told the AP she bought boxer briefs from the official Milan Cortina souvenir store. Curtis hadn’t bought anything for her.

“It’s not so much about gift giving, just going out and doing something together,” said Lori, 61. She spoke while sitting beside Curtis, so perhaps she’ll be surprised on Saturday.

Canadian hockey forward Laura Stacey and her wife, team captain Marie-Philip Poulin, have a different kind of date: playing Germany's team in the quarterfinals in Milan.

“We have a game, we have a big game, so spending it together. We’re pretty lucky,” Stacey said. “Most people don’t get to do what they love, chasing their dreams together, and we do. So I think on February 14th, I think it’s important for us to just appreciate that and not take it for granted."

Aside from taking on Germany, they don't have plans — but Stacey said they will surely at least give each other cards.

Many other couples are at the Olympics, some teammates and others competing against each other.

— U.S. alpine skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin — that sport’s all-time wins leader — is engaged to Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, who returned to racing this season after dealing with major injuries.

— Latvia’s luge team includes the husband-and-wife pair of Martins Bots and Elina Bota, both single sliders.

— Italy’s luge team Dominik Fischnaller and the U.S.'s Emily Sweeney married last year after dating for almost 15 years.

— U.S. bobsledding has a power couple with reigning women’s monobloc world champion Kaysha Love engaged to men’s push athlete Hunter Powell. She’s in the Olympics for the second time, while he's making his debut.

— American figure skaters Madison Chock and Evan Bates were married in 2024 and won a silver medal on Wednesday.

—Curling may have the most well-known couples of any sport. Norway’s Magnus Nedregotten and Kristin Skaslien have been together since 2008 and won bronze in Pyeongchang. Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant of Canada married in 2022 and were favorites this year. There are Switzerland’s Yannick Schwaller and Briar Schwalller-Huerlimann, too; they brought their baby and photos of him carrying a curling broom twice his size went viral.

He looked like a curling Cupid.

Associated Press writers Jennifer McDermott in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy and John Wawrow in Milan contributed to this report.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Belgium's Kim Meylemans, left, and Brazil's Nicole Rocha Silveira react, at the finish during a women's skeleton run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Brasil's Nicole Rocha Silveira arrives at the finish during a women's skeleton training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Belgium's Kim Meylemans starts for a women's skeleton run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Belgium's Kim Meylemans, left, and Brazil's Nicole Rocha Silveira react, at the finish during a women's skeleton run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)