The Beijing Olympics has been a "great success", especially considering the difficulties of the time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, said a senior Italian official.

Luigi Alvera, vice-mayor of Italian ski town Cortina d'Ampezzo, is highly involved in the organization of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games as his town will be one of the venues.

In an exclusive interview with China Daily, Alvera said China exhibited excellence in the hosting of the Games.

"For sure, the Olympics demonstrated a great work by the host nation to grow in different disciplines, even those that so far were not part of China's sports tradition," he said.

"I think this will have a spillover effect, and the results of Chinese athletes will inspire more Chinese people to practice winter sports and embrace the Olympic spirit."

Alvera said he expects "the Chinese athletes to be even more protagonist at the Milan/Cortina Olympics, and my wish is they will be able to win even more medals than the impressive 15 they gained in Beijing".

The Chinese team bagged a record number of nine gold medals, four silvers and two bronzes at the Games, ranking third behind Norway and Germany, and one spot ahead of the United States.

When asked what he thought were the highlights of the Beijing Games, Alvera mentioned the opening and closing ceremonies as they left a mark in the memory of the athletes and the public.

"The spectacular opening ceremony put in the foreground sport and the athletes, and the message of togetherness, which is in line with Olympic values," he said. "The closing ceremony granted a striking handover between Beijing and Milan/Cortina, but also between the Asian culture and the European and Mediterranean cultures."

Cortina, the mountain resort of the Italian Alps and known as the crown jewel of the Dolomites, hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics, which helped it establish its image as a key alpine winter sports destination.

Now that Milan and Cortina have taken the baton from Beijing, Alvera said Cortina will again be at the center of attention in the world of sport, even if it will only host some competitions.

To enhance the structural and organizational characteristics of each venue, the 2026 Olympic events will be spread out on a vast area to reduce the impact on infrastructure.

"I expect the road to 2026 will boost a renovation process that is already taking place in Cortina's accommodation, transport and sport facilities," he said. "The international attention we will get will also benefit the tourism sector and many local projects, and open Cortina to new tourism markets, including China."

Alvera said he strongly believes the road to the 2026 Olympics will provide occasions of collaboration between Italy and China. He thinks there could be collaborations aimed at offering Chinese athletes the possibility to stay and train close to the venues of World Cup races leading to the Olympics.

"This could be an opportunity for the athletes, and as happens often with sport, create also personal and cultural links that could enrich both sides," he said. "We could also envisage organizing meetings and tournaments specifically conceived for the growth of Italian and Chinese athletes. We want to build on the Olympic opportunity and create a series of occasions to make Cortina more and more a sport hub, also for the Chinese athletes and public."

The fact that the 2026 Olympics will come 70 years after Cortina 1956 is "very meaningful", Alvera said. Winter sports will come back to where its most rooted traditions and skills are－back to Europe, a continent that hosted many Olympics but where the Winter Games have been missing for a long time.

"2026 will be the occasion for Cortina to crown a centuries-old tradition in winter sports by hosting the Olympics, the highest expression of sport," he said. "Here, locals have a strong link with winter sports. They are part of our daily life, and we take pride in having been one of the first cities to host the Winter Olympics. Therefore, I expect hosting once more the event will have a positive impact also on the local population and on their feeling of belonging and pride."

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