Australia's chef de mission for the Milano-Cortina Olympics is wary that Italy is set to host the most widely spread out Winter Games in history, prompting a warning some 12 months out.
"It's not going to be an easy Olympics," Alisa Camplin said during Nine's Australian Open coverage.
"We've got eight different venues across 400 kilometres in the Italian Alps. We've got so many events all happening on the same day in different locations. So we just want to keep it calm, we want to keep it warm."
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Camplin won Olympic gold for Australia in freestyle skiing in Salt Lake City in 2002, at a Games best remembered by Australians for Steven Bradbury's miraculous come-from-behind triumph in speedskating.
More than two decades on, an Olympics is set to be hosted by two cities for the first time, Milano and Cortina, and across 22,000 square kilometres.
The Italian government is dealing with major logistical hurdles, including problems with roads and railways, that have been exacerbated by frequent landslides, and event and team organisers are certain to be facing logistical concerns when the Games roll around in February 2026.
A picture of the Sliding Centre in Cortina, which will host bobsleigh, skeleton and luge competition in the 2026 Winter Olympics. Getty
Camplin admitted she would have to be a "major problem solver" in Italy, but said she'd draw upon her experience as an Olympic athlete in guiding the Australian team.
"I think you know how vulnerable they feel, you know how important it feels to them, the pressure of the moment, what it takes to find your best and everything they're trying to manage through the major event that it is, as well as their coaches," Camplin said.
"For me, it's just passing on that knowledge and being there for whatever they need. Whatever problems arise I want to take the problems off. But, really, it's a service role. I'm there to galvanise the team behind the team and to serve the athletes and coaches."
Australian snowboarding champion Scotty James, a two-time Olympic medallist, produced an incredible performance to clinch World Cup gold in the halfpipe at the Laax Open on Sunday (AEDT).
James, snowboarding young gun Valentino Guseli and freestyle skier Jakara Anthony are expected to be among Australia's top performers at the Milano-Cortina Games.
"Our best athletes are really trying to get their hardest skills [well trained] now," Camplin said, "so that the pressure is a little off in the year of the Olympics itself."
