2026 | GIZMODO.cz

Dubbed the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, the upcoming international multi-sport event is scheduled to take place from 6 to 22 February 2026 in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, the latter of which also hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics. In the build-up to the grand event, creative outfit Weekend-works.com has revealed its unofficial design concept for the Olympic medals, inspired directly by the mountainous terrain around the north of Italy, amidst the Dolomites.

Designer: Weekend-works.com

“This medal design is inspired by the Dolomites mountain chains”, mentions Jaekyu Jung of Weekend-works.com. The dented surface isn’t just a hat-tip to the mountain’s uneven terrain but is also reminiscent of the constant work, perseverance, and unrelenting effort on the part of each athlete who participates in the Olympics. Each medal is extruded and cut out as a blank disc before the details are CNC machined along the front as well as the rim of the medal. Finally, to achieve the battered texture, each medal is manually hammer-finished by artisans as a way of honoring the sheer effort and human hours that go into training for the Olympics. The medal is finally completed with a ribbon that’s made sustainably from ocean-bound plastic.

This will be the fourth Olympic Games hosted in Italy (Cortina d’Ampezzo previously hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics), and the first hosted in Milan. It will also be the first Olympic Games featuring two host cities in an official capacity and is slated to be the first Winter Olympics since Sarajevo 1984 with opening and closing ceremonies will be held in different places.

The post 2026 Milan Winter Olympics medal design takes inspiration from the mountainous peaks of northern Italy first appeared on Yanko Design.

While the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics are currently being shifted to 2021, the games of the subsequent years are still on track, with Milan successfully bidding to host the 2026 winter games. Amidst this news, Italian designer Matteo Ercole decided to envision what the torch for the Milan Winter Olympics for 2026 would (or rather should) look like.

Ercole’s rendition of the Olympic Torch captures the true essence of Milan’s heritage and culture. Inspired by the spires of the Milan Duomo, the torch uses an inverted conical design, taking the cathedral’s intricate details and modernizing them. The modern interpretation retains the true essence of heritage Milanese architecture, while having the modern appeal of the works of architects like Stefano Boeri, who’s vertical forest also represents an iconic figure in Milan’s skyline. This fusion of styles is perhaps the perfect representation of Milan, merging the city’s rich heritage with its vibrant and colorful modern life. The top of the torch even comes with a red-colored cross, representing Milan’s flag… allowing it to act as the surface on which the ceremonial and symbolic fire burns.

Designer: Matteo Ercole