A spokesperson for Moratti, who is now vice-president of Lombardy said: "Dr. Letizia Moratti denies the existence of the news on her appointment as head of the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics," adding that "any decision" related to her "will be communicated exclusively by her press office.

"Any other information relating to her is without foundation."

Plans to replace Vincenzo Novari with a new chief executive - which originally involved Andrea Abodi, President of the National Italian Bank Institute for Sports Credit - were put on hold following last month’s general election, where Giorgia Meloni, of the Brothers of Italy party, became what many consider the country’s most right-wing leader since Benito Mussolini.

Abodi, initially announced as taking over the chief executive role, has now been moved to Italy’s Ministry of Sport.

Yesterday the Milan Cortina 2026 President Giovanni Malagò told the Association of National Olympic Committees General Assembly in Seoul that changes had been impacted by last month's general election, and that Meloni's Government is expected to play a more prominent role in the build-up to the Games in less than four years' time.

Delivering the Milan Cortina 2026 report via video link, Malagò, who is also President of the Italian National Olympic Committee and an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, outlined the reforms.

"As you may have heard, we are waiting for some crucial changes to introduce a more important role for the Italian Government in our organisation for 2026," he said.

"The main change is that the CEO [chief executive] of the OCOG [Organising Committee of the Olympic Games] will now be appointed by the Italian Prime Minister after consultation with all our stakeholders and the territories - the Lombardy region, the Veneto region, the Autonomous Provinces of Trento and Bolzano and the Municipalities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

"In order to comply with the new governance model, the OCOG's Statutes will be amended upon proposal of the new CEO and approval by the Italian National Olympic Committee, the Italian National Paralympic Committee, the Italian Prime Minister, the host regions, cities and provinces.

"Italy went through the political elections on September 25, and this postponed the changes to be put in place, so the new CEO, although the name has basically already been agreed by all the partners, has still to be officially announced."

Moratti is a businesswoman who has worked in insurance and telecommunications. 

Between 1994 and 1996 she was chairperson of the Italian state television company RAI. 

At the end of 1998, and for about a year, she became chairman of News Corp Europe, a company headed by Rupert Murdoch.

From 2001 to 2006, she was a reforming Minister of Education, University and Research in the Silvio Berlusconi cabinets.

She was voted in as Mayor of Milan in 2006, but failed to secure a second term of office in 2011. 

On September 30, shortly before she took up her current role, Meloni told Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee: "These Games are very important for us.

"Italy is more than able to stage magnificent Games, and we want to impress the world again.

"You can count on us."