GENEVA, January 30. /TASS/. Italy has been selected to host the 2028 Winter Youth Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) press office said in a statement on Thursday.
The decision to award Italy the right to host the prestigious amateur event, which takes place once every four years, was made by the IOC at its 143rd Session in Lausanne, Switzerland.
"Dolomiti Valtellina 2028 will be the fifth edition of the Winter YOG," the statement reads. "Competitions will take place only in existing venues across three clusters in Valtellina, Trentino and Cortina, returning to some of the iconic sports venues that will be used for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026."
The 2026 Winter Olympic Games will also be held in Italy, in the cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. The event will take place from February 6-22, 2026.
"The 2028 YOG will be part of the Milano Cortina 2026 legacy, and will reinvest in communities with strong winter sports traditions," according to the IOC.
Commenting on the decision to award Italy the right to host the 2028 Winter Youth Olympic Games IOC President Thomas Bach said: "The election of Dolomiti Valtellina 2028 is an expression of the IOC’s confidence in Italy’s ability to deliver world class, exceptional winter sports events."
"The Olympic Movement and the host regions are already excited about Milano Cortina 2026, with just over one year to go until the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games," the statement quoted Bach as saying. "Today’s news means that excitement will extend until the end of the decade, and the benefits for local communities will continue."
The previous edition of the Winter Youth Olympics, which is organized every four years, was hosted by South Korea’s Gangwon province in 2024 with over 1,800 athletes representing 78 nations competing for medals in various winter sports disciplines.