Organisers for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics have sold nearly 70 per cent of tickets, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday, with hopes that the ongoing torch relay will boost sales in the final stretch.
A total of 1.4 million tickets have been issued for the February 6-22 Games with close to a million sold, and some 255 000 issued for the Paralympics, held a few weeks later.
The Games torch relay for the Olympics started last week with the flame being carried across the country to shore up enthusiasm among Italians.
"We are close to 70 per cent at this stage," Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi told a press conference following an IOC executive board meeting that included a progress report by the Italian organisers.
He said he hoped the relay would boost sales, especially for the Paralympics.
"It is always a little harder. There (Paralympic ticket sales), we are trailing. We hope the torch relay will help," Dubi said.
He did not provide a number of tickets sold for the Paralympics, to be held between March 6-15.
Olympic organisers have been rushing to complete and test competition venues, with the ice hockey venue in Milan one of the projects under a tight deadline from the start.
It again came into the spotlight in the past days over the size of its rink, following reports that it was shorter than the standard used in NHL venues.
The IOC said there was no longer any discussion on the size, with all stakeholders, including the NHL and the players as well as the international federation having agreed on it. An ice hockey test event for this month has been pushed to early January, and will now also include spectators.
"We are 58 days away and the Games are just around the corner," IOC President Kirsty Coventry said. "We are very impressed and happy with what we are seeing and hearing. We need to keep our finger on the pulse."