For many U.S. Olympic athletes, Italy feels like home turf : NPR

American Lindsey Vonn speeds down the course during the women’s World Cup super-G ski race in Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy, in 2018.

Gabriele Facciotti/AP

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Gabriele Facciotti/AP

In January, American athlete Jessie Diggins, the world’s top-ranked female cross-country skier, sprinted up a steep slope in Italy’s Val di Fiemme, poles pumping, for her third Tour de Ski victory.

Now, Diggins is back at the nearby Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Val di Fiemme, a valley in the Italian Dolomites, for the Olympics — on a course where she’s raced many times.

While the 2026 Winter Olympics take place thousands of miles from the U.S., centered around the business capital Milan and the ski resort town Cortina, the competition sites in northern Italy are familiar ground for many on Team USA.

“Our athletes compete there often. Many of them train there,” says Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. “It’s a place where we know we can shine.”

To help even the playing field, cross country officials have reconfigured the course. “Most of it isn’t the same; it’s quite literally running backwards for part of it,” Diggins says. “You have people like me who’ve been racing there for a very long time, but at the same time everyone’s kind of relearning it all over again,” she says.

Cortina d’Ampezzo, located about 40 miles south, will host curling, bobsled, skeleton, and other sliding sports. Women’s Alpine skiing will take place on the iconic Olympia delle Tofane run, a historic venue that holds significance for many athletes. Lindsey Vonn, a veteran Alpine skier, has a special connection to Cortina and is returning for her fifth Olympic Games despite a recent knee injury. She has a deep appreciation for the town and the support she receives there. The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics will begin with the opening ceremony at San Siro Stadium in Milan and conclude in Verona at an ancient Roman amphitheater. The beauty of the Italian Alps and the rich history of the venues are drawing athletes like Vonn back for one more chance at Olympic glory. following sentence in a more concise way: “I am not able to attend the meeting tomorrow due to a prior commitment.” “I cannot attend the meeting tomorrow because of a prior commitment.”