"Next Sport Generation": Valtellina is preparing for the Games with its youth. Symbolic materials have been distributed in schools across the province to guide students towards Milano Cortina 2026.

October 31, 2025. "Next Sport Generation", a project promoted by the Quality Agro-Food District of Valtellina (signatory of the sponsorship agreement with Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026) in collaboration with APF Valtellina, the Territorial School Office of Sondrio, and the provincial CONI, with the sponsorship and contribution from the Province of Sondrio, has started these days. 

The initiative involves thousands of students from schools of all levels in the area, from kindergarten to secondary schools, with the aim of spreading the values and spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games of Milano Cortina 2026 and strengthening the bond between young people from Valtellina and their territory. Resulting from intensive networking among educational institutions, local entities, and sports organizations, "Next Sport Generation" aims to educate through sports, promoting universal principles of friendship, respect, and excellence, while enhancing the cultural identity of Valtellina in view of the Winter Olympic Games. 

In recent days, the teaching and symbolic materials planned by the project have been distributed: 

- customized panels with the official emblems of Milano Cortina 2026, intended for each school complex in the province, totaling 114, to represent a tangible and lasting sign of participation in the Olympic journey; 

- a 14-month calendar, delivered to all classrooms in the province's schools, over 1,000 classes, which will accompany students in the countdown to February 6, 2026, the opening day of the Games. The calendar features athletes from Valtellina across various disciplines: from ski mountaineering to alpine skiing, from short track to snowboarding, and more; 

- for some primary schools, choreographic kits with t-shirts, flags, and balloons that will bring to life, on the day of the opening ceremony, a collective choreography capable of symbolically uniting all the schools in Valtellina. 

The project is supported by the Province of Sondrio, which has recognized in this initiative an important opportunity for educational growth and territorial promotion, in line with the approach to the Games. "The 'Next Sport Generation' project represents for Valtellina an opportunity for our youth, capable of transferring fundamental values such as friendship, respect, and excellence, the cornerstones of the Olympic spirit. 

We are proud to support an initiative involving thousands of students, strengthening their bond with the territory and promoting an active, healthy, and conscious lifestyle. In view of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games of Milano Cortina 2026, the Province of Sondrio is committed to ensuring that this sports and educational experience becomes a lasting legacy for our community, uniting institutions, schools, and local realities in a great effort of networking and collaboration.” Davide Menegola, President of the Province of Sondrio.

 “The enthusiasm and participation of schools demonstrate how sports can be an educational and civic tool. 

Through this path, we want to transmit the Olympic values to our students and the awareness of being part of a territory that is a protagonist of the 2026 Games.” Imerio Chiappa, Director of the Territorial School Office of Sondrio. “For several years, the School Office has been supporting, through various initiatives, teachers and students towards Milano Cortina 2026. With this project, we also want to continue providing our support, in collaboration with local partners, to the schools in the area, creating unity and sharing in the proposals on the Olympic theme.” Antonella Nucciarelli, UST contact for Olympic projects. “We are proud to support such a broad territorial vision initiative. 

Sports is a universal language and a factor of unity, and this project goes exactly in that direction: a strong signal of collaboration between institutions and the sports world, offering young people the opportunity to experience firsthand the Olympic spirit that will animate Milano Cortina 2026.” Ettore Castoldi, President of the provincial CONI of Sondrio. 

“Being an active part of this important project honors us. The initiative is commendable as it educates new generations through sport and contributes to spreading the positive values that characterize the spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

With this goal and placing particular emphasis on the cultural identity of Valtellina, we can contribute to strengthening the bond between young people and the community in which they live.” Claudio Palladi, President of the Quality Agro-Food District of Valtellina.