Italy has successfully thwarted a series of cyber-attacks targeting the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, according to Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. The attacks were reportedly of "Russian origin" and targeted websites linked to the Games, hotels in Cortina d'Ampezzo, and foreign ministry facilities, including an embassy in Washington.
The host town of Cortina d'Ampezzo will be staging a range of events during the Olympics, including alpine skiing, biathlon, curling, and sliding competitions. The games are set to officially begin on Friday, although some preliminary actions have already taken place.
Cortina is one of five host clusters for the Winter Olympics. According to reports, Fifa president Gianni Infantino and International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Kirsty Coventry suggested the possibility of Russia's reinstatement into international sporting events earlier this week. However, their comments were met with criticism from Ukraine Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi.
Russian athletes have been suspended from all competitions by football governing bodies Fifa and Uefa since February 2022 due to the country's invasion of Ukraine. Similar restrictions apply to Belarus, which is also banned from participating in international sporting events due to its support for Russia.
In contrast, 13 Russian competitors and seven from Belarus were granted eligibility to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics, subject to passing an IOC assessment.
The host town of Cortina d'Ampezzo will be staging a range of events during the Olympics, including alpine skiing, biathlon, curling, and sliding competitions. The games are set to officially begin on Friday, although some preliminary actions have already taken place.
Cortina is one of five host clusters for the Winter Olympics. According to reports, Fifa president Gianni Infantino and International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Kirsty Coventry suggested the possibility of Russia's reinstatement into international sporting events earlier this week. However, their comments were met with criticism from Ukraine Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi.
Russian athletes have been suspended from all competitions by football governing bodies Fifa and Uefa since February 2022 due to the country's invasion of Ukraine. Similar restrictions apply to Belarus, which is also banned from participating in international sporting events due to its support for Russia.
In contrast, 13 Russian competitors and seven from Belarus were granted eligibility to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics, subject to passing an IOC assessment.
just got this news about Italy stopping some major cyber attacks on the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina! I'm literally shook 
. Can't even imagine what kind of crazy tech they used to try and take down those websites and hotels... and that they're from Russia? 
still trying to wrap my head around it all.
. But for now, I'm just stoked that everything is going to be okay and the games can go ahead as planned.
anyhoo, fingers crossed the Olympics go smoothly and everyone has a blast! 
. I mean, have you seen the list of countries involved in international sporting events? It's like they're trying to create some sort of sporting superleague or something 
. But seriously, Ukraine Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi is totally right to be skeptical about Russia's intentions - those guys are always trying to find loopholes 
.
. Italy doing a good job by thwarting them though, that's what we need more of 
.
. It's gonna be an interesting Olympics, that's for sure... will be keeping an eye on it 
But at the same time, it's cool that some Russian athletes got the chance to compete again. 
It just feels like there's always this balance between allowing countries to participate and not wanting them to get away with things they've done... 
at least 13 of those Russian competitors have passed an IOC assessment 
but what about all the other sanctions in place? doesn't seem right 
! I mean, can you even imagine if they had succeeded? 
I mean, have you tried using the IOC app? It's so easy to follow your favorite teams and athletes in real-time. And with 5G on site, the streaming quality is totally sick 
Anyway, I'm super hyped for the Olympics now – bring on the snowboarding, ice skating, and curling! 
anyway, hope everything goes smoothly for the Games and that we can all enjoy some great sports and competition without any major issues 
. You gotta give 'em credit, they're not gonna let some cyber-attacks bring 'em down 
.
I mean, what's next? Hackers gonna crash the games too? 
That Russia thing is getting outta hand... always causing drama and tension. FIFA and IOC should really be more careful with who they let back in the game, considering all that's happened. 
But hey, at least Italy got their act together to protect their Olympics. 
! It's crazy to think about how vulnerable our online world is and it's amazing what people can get up to when they want to cause trouble 
cant wait to see all the awesome events & athletes competing