MILAN, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) — The Italian Federation of Ice Sports (FISG) expected the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics to promote ice sports across the country, Kenan Gouadec, the federation’s high performance director, said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

« Ice sports enjoy a certain level of popularity but remain niche disciplines in Italy, » Gouadec said, adding that soccer overwhelmingly dominates the country’s sports scene, while in winter sports, snow events such as Alpine skiing are more popular than ice disciplines.

FISG is trying to bring ice sports back into the mainstream and attract greater participation from both the public and athletes.

« We hope that the Milan-Cortina Olympics will give more visibility to ice sports, » Gouadec said. « As a federation, we try to get more athletes involved, get potentially some more facilities built across Italy. »

The former Italian short track speed skater has seen encouraging signs, including increased media coverage and public discussion since preparations for the Milan-Cortina 2026 began. He expects the Games’ success to generate lasting momentum.

The Winter Olympics have returned to Italy since Turin 2006. According to Gouadec, short track speed skating has developed to a higher standard over the past 20 years.

« Now we have more competitions every year, » he said. « Smaller nations are getting more competitive in [short track] speed skating. »

Kenan Gouadec, high performance director of the Italian Federation of Ice Sports, speaks to Xinhua in Milan, Italy, Feb. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Yue Wenwan)

Acknowledging that strong competition results are crucial for the Italian national team, Gouadec said the federation does not have specific expectations for the Winter Olympics.

« We just want to ensure that the athletes enjoy the moment. I don’t want to give them pressure, » he said.

« I always tried to tell them, the athlete’s life is very small compared to their actual lifespan. So you need to enjoy moments like the Olympics, because it’s a very small chance, » he added.

38-year-old Chinese coach Qi Mengyao led Italy to the top of the podium in short track speed skating mixed team relay, bagging the first short track gold medal at the Games.

Gouadec revealed that the decision to appoint Qi was mainly based on her professional background and experience. « We thought she was the right person because we have several younger athletes, and Qi is very experienced in Canada for junior [athletes’] development, » he said.

« Qi fit well with the team, and she brought a strong technical eye to the group, developing the team with excellent tactical work, » he added.

The Italian delegation has already claimed three golds, one silver and two bronzes across speed skating, short track speed skating, and figure skating so far, while Gouadec hopes the skaters will keep enjoying the Games.

« I believe that if they enjoy the moment and they use the energy from the crowd, they just perform better instead of feeling pressure to perform at home, » Gouadec said. ■

Xinhua communément appelée « agence Chine nouvelle », prononcer est la plus grande et la plus ancienne des deux agences de presse nationales chinoises.

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