Cultural Partnership With BAM Announced

International Olympic Committee news

As part of the Milano Cortina 2026 Cultural Olympiad, the Olympic Museum announced a new collaboration with BAM - Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano, project of Fondazione Riccardo Catella, a leading cultural institution in Milan. The partnership was presented during a press conference and builds on several initiatives already in progress with the Museo Storico del Trentino in Trento, Una Montagna di Libri in Cortina d’Ampezzo and Milan’s themed weeks, including Fashion Week.

The collaboration will centre on two key components: the Olympian Artists programme and a performing land art installation featuring the Olympic rings and Paralympic Agitos.

“This cultural partnership marks an important moment in our engagement in Italy ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games,” said Angelita Teo, Director of the Olympic Museum

“It will bring Olympism to life through creativity, dialogue and community participation. BAM, with its unique setting, vibrant energy and rich cultural programme, offers the ideal field of play for this encounter between sport, art and the public. The Olympian Artists will share their voices not only as champions, but also as cultural storytellers. The Olympic rings and Paralympic Agitos are a powerful symbol of global unity and human connection through sport. Their land art representation at BAM will leave a lasting impression on the people of Milan.”

Launched in 2018 by the Olympic Museum on behalf of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Olympian Artists programme supports Olympians and Paralympians who are also artists across diverse disciplines in the visual and performing arts such as painting, music and design. It gives them a global platform to share their experiences as both athletes and artists with diverse audiences through exhibitions, collaborative art projects and community workshops in Olympic Games host cities.

Following a call for proposals that attracted 38 submissions, three artists were selected in close collaboration with BAM to bring their artistic talents and team spirit to a public park in Milan, in a setting that values community and shared artistic expression:

• Egle Uljas, Olympian (Athens 2004) and former runner from Estonia, will kick off the programme on 7 September with a Q&A followed by a piano recital with selections from Beethoven, Liszt and Verdi.
• Alexandra Ianculescu, Olympian (PyeongChang 2018) and former speed skater from Romania, will lead an illustration workshop to explore the Olympic spirit in relation to questions of local identity, community, landmarks and symbols on 5 October.
• Simone Barlaam, Paralympian (Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024), four-time gold medallist and active Italian swimmer, will lead the creation of a mural inspired by Paralympic winter sports and the values of courage, inspiration, determination and equality on 21 December.

All three events will take place at BAM and be free and open to the public.

In addition, the Olympic Museum and BAM have co-created a performing land art installation in the park’s meadows, depicting the five Olympic rings and the three Paralympic Agitos using sustainable paint and grass-cutting techniques. More than a visual landmark, this installation will serve as an open-air stage for performances, artistic interventions and workshops. Initially rendered in white, the rings and Agitos will appear in their official colours on 8 February 2026.

“We drew inspiration from the values of the Olympic Charter and from the founding principles of the BAM project to build community through culture, sport and education,” stated Francesca Colombo, General Cultural Director of BAM.

“It is an opportunity to ‘reach out to others, building bridges despite differences,’ as reminded to us by the founder of the Modern Games, Pierre de Coubertin.”