Milan Cortina Olympics projected to generate more than $6 billion in economic impact

With all the snow and ice, some spent the weekend enjoying some snow sports — many of which will be on display in just a couple of weeks when the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics start on Feb. 6.

NBCUniversal, which has the rights to air the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the U.S., said it sold out all its advertising slots by early January, setting what the company calls a new ad sales record.

“Audiences are really drawn to the allure, to the pageantry, to the stories of triumph and tragedy of the Olympic Games, and brands recognize that,” said Beth Michalec, who teaches corporate communications at Penn State Lehigh Valley.

But, in terms of economic impact for Olympic host cities, it can be hit or miss.

“When researchers have looked at this, they generally tend to see that the cost associated with hosting the Olympics tends to be considerably higher than the benefits that the city's receive,” explained Michael Clark, who directs the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Kentucky.

Early estimates predict the Milan-Cortina games will yield more than $6 billion in economic impact.

“They're expecting to make a little bit more money than they spend, but not much more compared to if you look at all the expenditure and what goes into building facilities and all that stuff,” said Kiki Kaplanidou, who runs the Department of Sport Management at the University of Florida.

The Winter Olympics run from Feb. 6-22, and the Paralympic Winter Games start March 6.