Milan Cortina 2026 has launched a trio of new educational programmes ©Milan Cortina 2026

The Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee is set to launch three new educational initiatives as part of its Gen26 Program.

Organisers have created "Student Staff", "Olympic Values", and "Walking… from Beijing to Trento following the Torch".

They come in partnership between the Italian National Olympic Committee Trento, the department of education and culture of the autonomous province of Trento and the Fiamme Gialle Sports Group.

The Student Staff scheme provides training to students about how to host sporting events.

Hands-on experience will then be given as they work in the organisation of student championships.

A register of sports volunteers will subsequently be made to help organisers of future events.

Those on the register will be considered first to serve at Milan Cortina 2026.

Olympic Values is aimed at secondary schools and is in partnership with the Fiamme Gialle Sports Group.

The trio of new initiatives are being launched as part of Milan Cortina 2026's Gen26 education programme ©Milan Cortina 2026
The trio of new initiatives are being launched as part of Milan Cortina 2026's Gen26 education programme ©Milan Cortina 2026

"Within the curricular hours of citizenship education, the anecdote on the history of sport is proposed, with the aim of activating a path of training and knowledge of the values of the Olympic Charter," read a Milan Cortina 2026 statement.

"At the end of the project, the students prepare a paper (video, podcast, panel, journalistic article, etc) and the best productions are rewarded with a school/sports stay at the Guardia di Finanza barracks in Predazzo."

Walking… from Beijing to Trento following the Torch is part of the International Olympic Committee's proposals to celebrate Olympic Day. 

It aims to encourage younger students at secondary schools to take part in more sport while making them feel a part of the path towards Milan Cortina 2026.

"If each child walked for about an hour a day (about 8,000 steps) he would walk a distance of four kilometres," read the statement.

"Each class will upload the total steps weekly to an application and at the end of the project the winners will be able to visit the places of sporting interest of the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics."

Furthermore, Milan Cortina 2026 has signed an agreement with the Italian Rectors' Conference Foundation for Italian Universities that aims to support excellence in sport and study.

It is said to create conditions that will allow elite athletes to undertake education while still competing at a high level.