Federica Brignone is the Italian superstar of home games. © ANSA / JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

"Italy's feel for snow": Jubilation over medal record

Italy is in luck: The flood of medals for the host of the Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics is being celebrated by the newspapers.

February 16, 2026

From: dpa/sn

Almost all newspapers point out on their front pages that Italy has never won so much precious metal in winter. The two major newspapers Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica Double Olympic champion Federica Brignone was unanimously declared the "queen" of the Games after her success in the giant slalom.

At the time of publication, the host nation had won a total of 22 medals: eight gold, four silver, and ten bronze. In addition to Brignone, speed skater Francesca Lollobrigida also won two gold medals. This was the highest number of podium finishes ever achieved in Italy, a nation renowned for its winter sports. The previous record of 20 medals was set in Lillehammer, Norway, in 1994.

"The Lucky Games"

Before the Games began, Italy's National Olympic Committee (CONI) set a target of 19 medals – a goal that has already been exceeded after just over half the Games. Only Norway is ahead of the host nation in the medal count. The otherwise rather critical La Repubblica He raved: “Big Italy. No, gigantic. Serene, smiling, light-footed. Italy’s feeling for snow, like you’ve never seen it before. It glides along and surfs on the waves of life.”

Speed ​​skater Francesca Lollobrigida also won two gold medals. © APA/afp / JULIEN DE ROSA

The Corriere della Sera He also calculated that almost half of the medals (44,74 percent) were won by women. Furthermore, Italian companies congratulated the medal winners in the newspapers with numerous large-format advertisements.

The biggest sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport Printed on pink paper, her cover featured a heart-shaped ribbon in the national colors of green, white, and red. She wrote: “The happy Games: medals and titles, numbers like never before. And it’s not over yet… The Italy of Milan and Cortina 2026 knows no bounds. Shoulder to shoulder with the superpowers of world sport.”