Alessandro Andreoni’s Double Games

At his third Paralympics as a Para ice hockey athlete, Alessandro Andreoni had no idea of the enormous and complex work that goes on behind the scenes, which he is now experiencing firsthand as part of the Brand, Identity and Look of the Games team at Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026. As an athlete, he took many things for granted, as if the giant organizational machine behind the biggest sporting event (and more) on the planet ran on its own, almost by inertia. “I work in the area that deals with all the design for the Foundation,” explains Alessandro, 28, a graduate in Design from the Politecnico di Milano and a student of the Executive Master in Business of Events at SDA Bocconi School of Management, “and which oversees the graphics for all the installations, banners, balustrades, everything that will bring color to the competition and training venues. But also the objects, the torches, the medals, the mascot, and all the committee’s branding elements.”

Three years that are worth much more

It was a highly sought-after and desired experience, albeit a complex one for a young person just starting out in his professional career: “I started in 2022, when I was a graduate student, and it is effectively my first work experience,” continues Alessandro. “After Beijing 2022, two other teammates and I sent our resumes to the organizing committee, which was very small at the time, with 50 or 60 people at most, and all three of us were hired, although in different areas based on our individual training.” Three intense years that, for Alessandro, are worth much more: “Given what we’ve done, the pace at which we’re still working, which is quickening as we get closer to the start, I could multiply the years I’ve spent here by two or three,” he says. “It’s as if I were working in a start-up, what with the enormous and rapid growth, but also in a more structured company, given the number of rules and regulations that have to be complied with.”

On track for a medal

For Alessandro, however, the Games do not end when the athletes take to the field; on the contrary, for him, a second, equally exciting experience begins: the competitions. After Pyeongchang 2018 and Beijing 2022, he will be longing for that medal with his national team, which he has not yet achieved and which will be hard to reach this time too: “The United States (against whom we will make our debut on March 7 at 5 p.m.) and Canada will probably be in a league of their own, and we will be competing for positions immediately after, especially with China and the Czech Republic, the latter in particular.” Eight teams will compete in a sport that is played with a mixed formula (men and women together) and which does not have many practitioners in Italy. The Paralympics are very important, also with a view to introducing Para ice hockey to as many people as possible: “We compete in the world championships every year,” continues Alessandro, “in stadiums that are usually only full for home team games. At the Games, however, everything is different. The arena (16,000 seats) will be full, and almost everyone will be cheering for us. We will play the other two games in the group in the morning, with a large number of schoolchildren in attendance.”

The power of the Games

This is something that is very important to Alessandro Andreoni, perhaps even more so than the result itself: “Showing young people who are unfamiliar with people with disabilities, and with the world of disability in general, that it is possible to play sport at the highest level completely changes their perspective and destroys many stereotypes.” And perhaps increase the number of people practicing this sport, which suffers from other limitations: “First of all, it is ‘confined’, like hockey itself, to certain areas of the country, particularly northern Italy. Then there is a shortage of facilities, ice rinks in particular, and it is not even easy to get the necessary equipment if you don’t have backers to support you. We are counting heavily on the visibility that Milano Cortina 2026 will offer us, on the legacy it will leave us.” Alessandro Andreoni is attending a master’s program focused precisely on major events. Will this be his future after 2026? “Many important events are planned in Italy in the coming years, such as the Dolomiti Valtellina 2028 Winter Youth Olympic Games and the America’s Cup in Naples, but that’s not all. Many cultural events are also planned in Italy and Europe that I would like to work on, but for now, I see my future in sports.”