Sarajevo Olympic Week 2026, a youth festival dedicated to the promotion of sports, culture and Olympic values, was officially opened tonight at the Olympic Museum. The festival will last until February 15 at six locations in Sarajevo and Bjelašnica.
Inspired by the city’s rich Olympic heritage and connecting it to the future of the Olympic movement, the festival brings a ten-day program that includes meetings with top sports names, educational and cultural content, music programs on the mountain, an art exhibition, eSports program, film screenings, panel discussions and mass and inclusive sports activities, with the aim of making Sarajevo’s Olympic spirit alive, contemporary and accessible to all generations.
At the opening, the attendees were addressed by: H.E. Sarah Eti Castellani – Ambassador of the Republic of Italy to BiH, Samir Avdić – Mayor of Sarajevo and Din Pehlivanović – President of the Sarajevo Olympic Week Organizing Committee.
The Ambassador of the Republic of Italy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarah Eti Castellani, expressed her satisfaction with the opening of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games in 2026, the fourth Winter Games to be held in Italy.
She pointed out that the Games will be the most territorially widespread so far, with the participation of more than 90 countries, and the program will be watched by more than three billion viewers worldwide.
“These are not the Olympic Games only for Italy, but for the whole world. It is very important to respect the United Nations Resolution on Armistice during the Olympic Games. I hope that Milan-Cortina 2026 will be a pride not only for Italy, but also for the whole world, as it was the Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo in 1984”, said Castellani.
Sarajevo Mayor Samir Avdić sent congratulations to Ambassador Castellana on the occasion of the opening of the Olympic Games in Italy, as well as on the occasion of the 42nd anniversary of the Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo.
He emphasized the importance of the Sarajevo Olympic Museum as a place of culture of memory, and emphasized that the City of Sarajevo continuously supports the Sarajevo Olympic Week, during which competitions and events dedicated to winter sports are organized every year.
Before the live broadcast, guests had the opportunity to view the exhibition Art Posters Milano–Cortina 2026, a project promoted by Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 and Triennale Milano, in cooperation with the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee. Three Olympians from the region – volleyball player Vladimir Grbić, rower Martin Sinković and decathlete Mihail Dudaš – and Italian skier Paola Magona, winner of the gold medal at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics, were also awarded for their sports achievements.
