Olympian Artists programme launched for Milano Cortina 2026

The fifth edition of the programme features Simone Barlaam (Italy), Slaven Dizdarevic (Slovakia), Alexandra Ianculescu (Romania), Zeina Rashid (Jordan) and Egle Uljas (Estonia)

05 September 2025 – The Milano Cortina 2026 edition of the Olympian Artists programme kicks off in September 2025 with a vibrant series of community-based projects and workshops, and will be running until February 2026 in Milan and Venice. Organised by the Olympic Museum in collaboration with leading Italian cultural institutions, the fifth instalment of the programme focuses on shared creative expression and community building.

“The Olympian Artists programme gives athletes the chance to share their voices beyond sport, through art and culture,” said Angelita Teo, Director of the Olympic Museum. “Their creativity brings Olympism to life in ways that inspire, spark reflection and connect people everywhere.” Following a call for proposals that drew 38 submissions, the selected artists are:

• Simone Barlaam (Italy), Para Swimming, four-time Paralympic gold medallist, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.
• Slaven Dizdarević (Slovakia), Athletics, Beijing 2008.
• Alexandra Ianculescu (Romania), Speed Skating, PyeongChang 2018.
• Zeina Rashid (Jordan), Table Tennis, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.
• Egle Uljas (Estonia), Athletics, Athens 2004.

As previously announced, three of them will lead performances, participatory art projects and workshops organised in collaboration with the Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano (BAM), a Fondazione Riccardo Catella project, offering participants and local communities opportunities to interact with Olympians and contribute to public art activations.

• Uljas opens the programme on 7 September with a Q&A and piano recital with selections from Beethoven, Liszt and Verdi.

• Ianculescu is hosting an illustration workshop on 5 October, exploring the Olympic spirit in relation to questions of local identity, community, landmarks and symbols.

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• Barlaam is leading a mural creation on 21 December, inspired by Paralympic winter sports and the values of courage, inspiration, determination and equality.

Three artists will participate in the 17^th International Kids’ Carnival at La Biennale di Venezia, with a series of 12 workshops designed for children and families.

• Dizdarević will challenge families and children from the Veneto region to paint with the energy of an athlete and to explore visual ways to express concepts such as strength, speed, power and determination on 7 and 8 February.

• Rashid will explore Olympic symbols and values through the lens of iconic artworks, encouraging school groups from the Veneto region to express their own dreams and to nurture both effort and imagination on 9 and 10 February.
• Also on 9 and 10 February, Barlaam will host workshops for school children in Venice, aiming to raise awareness about the Paralympic Movement and disability in sport.

About the Olympian Artists programme

Launched in 2018 by the Olympic Museum on behalf of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the programme supports Olympians and Paralympians who are also artists across diverse disciplines in the visual and performing arts, such as painting, music and design.

It gives them a global platform to share their experiences as both athletes and artists with diverse audiences through exhibitions, collaborative art projects and community workshops in Olympic Games host cities.

Since its launch in 2018, 25 Olympians and three Paralympians from 16 countries have been supported through the programme and produced more than 80 new works in a joyful celebration of sport, creativity and the Olympic values.

They are selected by the Olympic Museum, in collaboration with cultural institutions, based on a list of criteria such as alignment with programming opportunities, the educational value of workshops, relevance to Games themes, prior experience and language skills, and overall diversity in profiles and artistic disciplines.

Olympic and Paralympic athletes who practise some form of art, either professionally or as a hobby, are invited to sign up to the Olympian Artists database to receive news and updates from the Olympic Museum about future opportunities to participate in the programme. Interested athletes can sign up through the Athlete365 website.