From the Dolomites to Kim Yuna, elegance takes center stage at Italy's Winter Olympics event in Seoul
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- MICHAEL LEE
- [email protected]
![From left: TV personality Alberto Mondi, retired Olympic figure skating champion Kim Yuna, Milano Cortina 2026 CEO Andrew Varnier, para Nordic skier Kim Yun-ji and Italian Ambassador to Korea Emilia Gatto pose for a group photograph at High Street Italia in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, during an event to promote the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics on June 25. [PARK SANG-MOON]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/06/25/666b4cb0-dee0-44e1-951f-2988585e933a.jpg)
From left: TV personality Alberto Mondi, retired Olympic figure skating champion Kim Yuna, Milano Cortina 2026 CEO Andrew Varnier, para Nordic skier Kim Yun-ji and Italian Ambassador to Korea Emilia Gatto pose for a group photograph at High Street Italia in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, during an event to promote the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics on June 25. [PARK SANG-MOON]
Italian officials highlighted the natural beauty and hospitality of the Dolomites in a star-studded event in Seoul to promote the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics to Koreans on Wednesday.
The event was one of several “Meet the World” stops by members of the organizing committee of the Milano Cortina Winter Games to encourage attendance by international spectators.
Moderated by local Italian TV personality Alberto Mondi, the event at High Street Italia in Gangnam District was attended by retired Olympic Korean figure skating champion Kim Yuna, Milano Cortina 2026 CEO Andrew Varnier from Italy, Korean para Nordic skier Kim Yun-ji and Italian Ambassador to Korea Emilia Gatto.
![Andrea Varnier, CEO of the Milano Cortina 2026 organizing committee, speaks during a ″Meet the World″ event to promote the upcoming Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games to Koreans at High Street Italia in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on June 25. [PARK SANG-MOON]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/06/25/7761c5a6-9df2-4a7b-ae8d-73ca45b189a9.jpg)
Andrea Varnier, CEO of the Milano Cortina 2026 organizing committee, speaks during a ″Meet the World″ event to promote the upcoming Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games to Koreans at High Street Italia in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on June 25. [PARK SANG-MOON]
Varnier said that his team chose to hold a “Meet the World” event in Korea because its “history of having organized both Summer and Winter Games is unique,” adding that the Milano Cortina 2026 committee “learned a lot” from the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games.
Varnier noted that venues for the upcoming games will be spread across the region surrounding Milan and Cortina to not only maximize sustainability, but also to incorporate existing facilities and local “knowledge and passion” for winter sports that are already well-established in the area.
“Instead of building new stadiums and venues where none existed before, we used and improved existing venues,” he said, adding that the focus of the Milano Cortina 2026 committee was to “adapt the games to the territory,” not the other way around.
![Italian Ambassador to Korea Emilia Gatto speaks during a ″Meet the World″ event to promote the upcoming Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games to Koreans at High Street Italia in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on June 25. [PARK SANG-MOON]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/06/25/774b38fa-07f9-4fb4-9cea-5d93e3f4b411.jpg)
Italian Ambassador to Korea Emilia Gatto speaks during a ″Meet the World″ event to promote the upcoming Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games to Koreans at High Street Italia in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on June 25. [PARK SANG-MOON]
Gatto, who delivered her speech in both English and Korean, said the Italian Foreign Ministry has deepened its diplomatic engagement through sports over the past two years because “sports represent dialogue and peace.”
“The Olympics are not a mere sporting event,” she said, adding that the games “represent universal values.”
Kim Yuna, who won a gold medal in figure skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and a silver medal at Sochi in 2014, said athletes should try to keep in mind that the Olympics are about “more than just medals.”
![Retired Korean Olympic figure skating champion Kim Yuna, left, speaks during a Q&A session with Italian TV personality Alberto Mondi at High Street Italia in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on June 25. [PARK SANG-MOON]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/06/25/3c272070-bc23-45ba-8fa9-da750ef703a2.jpg)
Retired Korean Olympic figure skating champion Kim Yuna, left, speaks during a Q&A session with Italian TV personality Alberto Mondi at High Street Italia in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on June 25. [PARK SANG-MOON]
“Back when I was still skating, it was hard to think about anything aside from the competitive aspect. But now, I see the Olympics encapsulate the drama of human life,” she said.
She encouraged young athletes to “experience and enjoy the opportunity to encounter different cultures” and “exercise respect for one another.”
Kim Yun-ji, who is currently ranked fourth in the world for para Nordic skiing, noted that she is the same age that Kim Yuna was when she first competed at the Olympics and expressed excitement regarding the upcoming Paralympic Games.
“As an athlete, I draw strength and inspiration from the people around me and my ability to do what I previously thought impossible,” she said.
“This competition is truly a stage for athletes to live out their dreams, and I hope to be part of that.”
BY MICHAEL LEE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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