Medalists of Team Italy during the Closing Ceremony on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games (Photo by Kevin Voigt/GettyImages)

The Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Games marked a defining chapter for Italian sport, with athletes claiming a remarkable array of medals, toppling records, and producing moments built to last. The Fair Play Menarini International Award confirmed its enduring place within the Olympic movement: its Ambassadors excelled across diverse disciplines, all guided by a shared understanding of sport at its finest.

Across alpine skiing, biathlon, speed skating, short track, curling, and cross-country skiing, Italy fielded athletes long recognised not merely for their skill but for the character they display in competition. At Milan-Cortina 2026, those core values – integrity, loyalty, respect – came alive through a string of outstanding performances.

Alpine Skiing: Grit, Mastery, and Hard-Earned Medals

Alpine skiing delivered moments of enormous pride. Leading the way was Federica Brignone, recognised in 2019 in the Fair Play category “Role Model for Youth”, who between 12 and 15 February 2026 produced a stunning double: two gold medals won barely ten months after a serious injury that had placed her entire comeback in jeopardy. Her victories in giant slalom and super-G represented the crowning achievement of a resilience rarely seen even among the world’s best. With this Olympic double, she has cemented her status among the most accomplished Italian athletes in history.

Sofia Goggia, recognised in 2017 for “Promotion of Sport”, hit a rare landmark of her own: an Olympic medal in three straight editions. To the gold of 2018 and the silver of 2022, she added a downhill bronze at Milan-Cortina – a sequence that speaks for itself when it comes to sustained excellence at the top.

Dominik Paris, recipient of the Sustenium Special Prize “Energy and Heart” in 2020, earned a downhill bronze at the age of 36. The South Tyrolean champion capped an exemplary career with a gutsy, focused run. His podium finish, fuelled by intimate knowledge of every inch of the Stelvio course in Bormio, was a fitting tribute to a distinguished career.

Biathlon: Vittozzi Enters the Record Books, Wierer Bows Out in Style

In biathlon, a sport that rewards both accuracy and stamina in equal measure, the Fair Play Menarini athletes produced a compelling showing.

Lisa Vittozzi, recognised in 2023 for “Fair Play and the Environment”, made Italian sporting history as the country’s first individual Olympic biathlon champion, while also claiming mixed relay silver. Her gold represented a milestone for the entire discipline in Italy, and CONI President Luciano Bonfiglio confirmed her standing by appointing her flag bearer at the closing ceremony on 22 February.

Dorothea Wierer, honoured in 2017 for “Promotion of Sport”, closed out her Olympic career with a mixed relay silver – a conclusion perfectly in tune with a decade-long career that proved decisive in elevating biathlon’s international profile.

Ice Sports: Record-Breaking Performances and Newfound Visibility

The ice disciplines brought equal distinction to the Fair Play Menarini Ambassadors.

Francesca Lollobrigida, recognised in 2024 for “Social Values of Sport”, swept two speed skating golds, setting records that further consolidated her position at the pinnacle of the sport. Her outings on the ice were a masterclass in technical precision, forged through years of work in a discipline where managing effort and staying sharp under pressure are paramount.

In short track, Arianna Fontana – Sustenium Special Prize “Energy and Heart” in 2018 — collected a gold and two silvers at Milan-Cortina, bringing her career total to 14 Olympic medals and making her Italy’s most decorated Olympian. At 36, her ability to stay competitive across generations of rivals remains unmatched.

Stefania Constantini, honoured in 2022 for “The Educational Values of Sport”, claimed bronze in mixed curling after a gripping third-place final against Great Britain. Settled on the very last stone, the match captivated a national audience and confirmed curling’s rising profile in Italy.

Cross-Country Skiing: Federico Pellegrino’s Last Act

One of the most moving storylines of the Games centred on Federico Pellegrino, recognised in 2017 as a “Role Model for Youth”. Milan-Cortina 2026 was his final bow.

At 35, Pellegrino earned two sprint bronze medals, a reminder that experience remains a formidable weapon at the elite level. His words at the end of the second race spoke for an athlete at peace with his farewell: “With this medal, I can retire with a clear heart”.

Milan-Cortina 2026 proved a resounding success, on the scoreboard and in the stands alike. Against this backdrop, the Fair Play Menarini  Ambassadors wrote their own chapter of records and medals, each carrying deep symbolic weight. The results were varied, but the thread running through them was always the same: an unshakeable integrity in how they met every challenge – and that is exactly what elevates a genuine sporting ambassador above the rest.