sPark of Change: at Bocconi, the Olympics Become an Experience Worth Exploring

On February 6, as the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games kick off in Milan, Bocconi University takes sport out of the arenas and turns it into a subject for exploration. sPark of Change is an exhibition in which the University turns its campus into a space open to all showing what the Games represent today: not just competition, but a generator of positive effects that drive economic, social, and cultural change.

sPark of Change is neither a celebratory exhibition nor a symbolic operation. It is an outreach project that makes available data, research, and analysis developed at Bocconi on sport as a social infrastructure, on the policies of major events, and on the legacy that the Olympics and Paralympics can leave to local areas. Milano Cortina 2026 thus becomes a real case study, to be studied as it happens and interpreted in terms of how the role of sport in our society is changing.

Six colors illustrating the story of sport

The core of the exhibition is an urban route along the pedestrian walkway of Via Gobbi, between Via Sarfatti and Piazza Sraffa, divided into six portals, six colors, and six key actions: investing, cheering, winning, building, growing, and impacting. Six words that raise unexpected questions: What drives the sports economy? How much is cheering worth? How do you build a winning career? How do you build a modern sports facility? What can I learn from the great icons of sport? Believing in sport: a medal won from the start?

The language is that of experience: physical installations, augmented reality, data visualizations, digital insights. Visitors don't just look, they go through, discover, connect information and stories, building their own interpretation of the sport phenomenon.

The voices of athletes and protagonists of the Games

Alongside numbers are the voices. The sPark of Change website (sparkofchange.unibocconi.it) features video contributions from athletes who have made their mark on Italian sport in different disciplines and generations: Paola Egonu, gold medalist in Paris 2024, one of the strongest volleyball players in the world and a global icon of women's sport; Enrico Garozzo, silver fencing medalist in Rio de Janeiro 2016 and now involved in training young people through his work in sports academies; Kristian Ghedina, legend of alpine skiing speed and symbol of winter sports; Giulia Ghiretti, Paralympic swimming champion and witness to the inclusive value of sport. 

The story is enriched by the perspective of those who plan and manage the Games. Nevio Devidè, Chief Revenue Officer, and Jacopo Mazzetti, Director of Legacy at Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, offer an insider's view on the evolution of the Games model, the relationship with local communities, new audiences, and the economic and cultural sustainability challenges of the event.

"The Games are a spark, not a goal," observes Dino Ruta, coordinator of the research team at Bocconi working on the report on the Impact and Legacy of the Games. "They must help us understand how sport generates economic, social and environmental value and positive legacies for the future, otherwise they remain just a big show." This is the perspective that guides sPark of Change: shifting the focus from the event to the impact.

Bocconi's contribution to the Milan Cortina 2026 Games

For Bocconi, sport is a structured field of work that combines research, training in sports management, and the promotion of sporting activities as an integral part of university life. sPark of Change represents the synthesis of this commitment and the University's contribution to the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics and Paralympics, with the aim of promoting understanding, discussion, and participation.

As Rector Francesco Billari points out, "sport is one of the few truly universal languages we have. But for it to have lasting effects, it must be studied, discussed, and understood. This is also the role of the university: to transform emotion into knowledge."

A project beyond the exhibition

sPark of Change does not end with the exhibition. The project expands with a program (all updates on www.unibocconi.it/sparkofchange) of events, book presentations in collaboration with Egea, guided tours, and in-depth activities along the duration of the Games, involving students, citizens, and communities outside the University. The calendar will also include initiatives dedicated to wellness, physical activity, and the culture of movement, developed in collaboration with the Wellness Foundation, to strengthen the link between sport, health, and quality of life, one of the most tangible legacies of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Among the events already scheduled:

• February 5, Beyond the Slopes, the Impact of Skiing and Snowboarding, with Johan Eliasch (International Ski and Snowboard Federation);
• February 10, The Tourism of the Games, with Felix Vo (Airbnb) and Kate Gordon (Visa);
• February 13, From Medals to Policies, with Adam van Koeverden (Olympic Athlete and Secretary of State for Sport of Canada);
• February 17, Where the Winter Games Become Legacy, with Iacopo Mazzetti (Fondazione Milano Cortina) and Èlie Petrigeon (French Alps 2030);
• February 18, The role of the University in Sports and Education, with Taylor R. Randall (President, Utah University)
• February 23, Sustainable Sportswear: Rethinking Performance and Responsibility, with Carlo Capasa (CNMI), Paola Deda (UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion), and Michelangelo Pistoletto;
• February 26, meeting with Hernikh Mkhitaryan, Inter striker and author of La mia vita sempre al centro. Il viaggio di un ragazzo armeno tra determinazione e sacrificio (Cairo Editore 2025);
• March 4, meeting with Giampaolo Ricci, co-captain of Olimpia, participant in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, author of Volevo essere Robin (DeAgostini libri)
• March 20, open lecture with Dino Ruta, author of Colori olimpici (Egea) and guided tour of sPark of Change in collaboration with the Bocconi Library;
• March 23/April 20/May 11/June 8, reading group for children aged 8 to 10, Oltre il traguardo, dentro le storie (Beyond the finish line, inside the stories), a reading program that explores sport beyond competition and results, as an opportunity for personal and collective growth;
• March 30, meeting with Mauro Berruto, former coach of the Italian men's national volleyball team, bronze medalist at the 2012 London Olympics, author of Lo sport al potere. La cultura del movimento e il senso della politica (ADD editore), and Moris Gasparri, sports scholar and essayist, author of La partita del potere (Egea);

sPark of Change is part of Research in motion, a project that has received funding from the Lombardy Region as part of the Cultural Games and is included in the official program of the Cultural Olympiad of Milan Cortina 2026. sPark of Change is produced with the contribution of Logotel (concept and experience development), Prisma (installation designers in collaboration with visual artist Carlo Cossignani) and Monogrid (digital development).