The holiday is not always with you.: how Milan lives before the start of the Olympic Games

In recent years, major sporting events such as the Olympics and World Championships can be roughly divided into two types. The first is when a country wants to show off its achievements, raise its reputation, and smash itself to impress everyone with a cool show. These are Beijing, Sochi, Arab cities that have fallen in love with Formula 1 and big football tournaments. At the other end of the scale is a well—fed but already thrifty Europe. She's talking about croissants, coffee at lunch and comfort, but spending on social activities forces her to do the Olympics, counting the money. Paris is already beautiful — why decorate it? At first glance, Milan is closer to Paris than to Beijing.

How the guests of the 2026 Olympics are greeted

No wonder Coco Chanel said that you won't get a second chance to make a first impression. If in China the authorities ordered that there be a poster about the Olympics at every intersection, then in Milan there are enough worries without that. To find the Olympic symbols, it is necessary to get as close as possible to the venues of the Games.

But all the same, the Olympic mood begins already on the plane. Flying through Azerbaijan, which has only two athletes at these Games, there was an episode of real interethnic unity. Figure skater Vladimir Litvintsev flew with us from Baku. Like a real Azerbaijani athlete, he is from the city of Ukhta in the Komi Republic. The crew wished him a medal at the Olympics over the speakerphone.

In general, there is something unique to the 21st century in this - a steward named Davidas wishes success to an Azerbaijani figure skater from Ukhta in English... However, later they said something about the Games in Azerbaijani, and the people even clapped.

This is not about Baku or Beijing being better than Paris or Milan, they are just different. France and Italy will remain the cradle of modern civilization, the product of which was the IOC (even if its president is from Zimbabwe). But they won't clean up the trash for the sake of the guests, erase graffiti from the walls, or build beautiful new facilities — at best, they'll cover the existing ones with turquoise cardboard.

It's a given. There is no reason to expect a celebration from the 2026 Games in Milan. Although there have already been pleasant moments — for example, at the information desk at the airport I met a Russian woman who said that everyone was hired here without discrimination.

A small social experiment — when I started asking Italians at the train station to share their phone number in order to connect to Wi-Fi, only the fifth answered me sweetly in English and not only typed in the number, but also offered to distribute the network. I am sure that the previous passers-by understood everything, but did not want to get involved with a foreigner.

Of course, it's my fault — I don't know the language of the hosts of the Games very well, it was much easier in Paris in French. But this is also a kind of crash test for the city's ability to absorb large flows of "aliens". Although it's good with them here too — in a couple of hours I heard both Chinese and Arabic, and saw people of all races and nations. All the flags of the world are coming to visit us. Alas, except for the Russian one.

A lucky number: who will represent Russia at the 2026 Olympics

Our representatives reached Milan in only seven sports.

Is Milan ready for the Games

There are stickers on the floor of the Malpensa Airport indicating the way to the reception desk for accredited journalists, NOC staff, and members of delegations. If we are not talking about a team that has to live in the Olympic Village, then the logistics offered are quite standard — a free train ticket to Milan Central Station and then — by navigation, to their hotel.

Depending on the period of accreditation — only for the Olympics or also for the Paralympics — everyone is entitled to free travel within Milan on all types of public transport. To do this, simply scan the QR code in a special application. Everything is working, from this point of view Milan is ready to receive the guests of the Games.

He's not ready for the weather: it's raining, it's +6-8 degrees outside, and there's no feeling at all that you've arrived at the Winter Olympics. There are puddles underfoot, fog overhead, and by Russian standards it's late October, not early February. If you are not going to work in mountain clusters, demi-season clothes are enough, there is no need to keep warm.

However, there are no Russian measurements on these SPS, as there is no designation of the country on the accreditation. This is expected, and it was the same in Paris. Otherwise, Italy reacts quite calmly both to the Russian passport and to the mention of the country — there is a Moscow metro station in Milan, no one renamed it, and they weren't even going to.

The main media center of the Games has not yet been fully deployed, there is no need for this, it is just starting work. However, I'll come right in with a trump card — his grocery store sells alcohol, which was not the case either in Tokyo or Beijing.

But there are no gift sets, which journalists are used to at past Games — usually it's a backpack with souvenirs inside. The Italians decided to do without such things. Therefore, if you want to bring something to remember OI, there is a direct way to the store. Not the one with wine and beer, but the one with souvenirs and branded clothes.

With souvenirs, everything is clear — badges, toys, everything revolves around the mascot characters of the Games — Tina and Milo. But they're still on sale (or have they already?) No, there are only Flo — little snowdrops, another symbol of the Olympics. There are six such snowdrops, that is, a full set of mascots is eight toys that the collector still needs to try to find, some of them are quite rare.

So is Milan ready? Two days before the opening, it looks ready. But the city has not yet been flooded by the crowds of tourists arriving for the opening ceremony on the morning of February 6. There are still empty seats in the press center, and the volunteers are not tired of the same questions. As long as everything is calm, Milan is ready.

Everything will change literally tomorrow, when the pressure and stress levels will increase significantly. And then it will become clear whether Milan is really ready.