Pride House is coming to the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics. And it’s just getting started.
Milan – July 13th, 2025
Pride House is coming to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, organized by local athletes and supported by Europe’s LGBTQ sports groups.
The extraordinary success of Pride House Paris during the 2024 Olympic Games marked a pivotal shift in the concept of Pride House.
Originally created as a safe space for LGBTQIA+ people visiting countries during the Olympics, the Pride House tradition has often responded to the need for protection and belonging in environments that don’t always guarantee safety or inclusivity for queer individuals.
Paris redefined this tradition.
Built and operated by the local organization Fier Play, Pride House Paris transformed into a vibrant venue open to a much broader community, a space where people came together not only to follow the Olympic Games but also to celebrate sport in a warm, fun, inclusive and welcoming environment.
The Paris edition embodied a clear commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion in sports, extending the scope and impact of the Pride House well beyond its original mission.
Now, Milan is ready to take up the torch.
During the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano-Cortina, a new Pride House Milano will be launched. Organized by Arcigay and CIG Arcigay Milano, in collaboration with Pride Sport Milano, the initiative aims to build on the Paris legacy, expanding this new model of inclusive community engagement.
Pride House Milano will be hosted in the prestigious and futuristic venue of Meet, Digital Culture Center in Milan—a cutting-edge location dedicated to digital art and performance.
The Pride House will feature a rich program of cultural and educational events, co-organized with some of Milan’s most prominent LGBTQIA+ festivals, including Milano Oltre, Festival Mix, and Lecite Visioni. This synergy will allow Pride House Milano to become not only a place of hospitality and safety but also a true cultural hub during the Olympic Games.
The project is already supported by key national and international partners such as Fier Play and Compete Proud, and has started to take shape through several milestone events.
Last month, Pride Week in Milan kicked off with the Pride Sport Arena, a two-day sporting event held in public squares. LGBTQIA+ sports teams, grassroots organizations, and everyday citizens came together to celebrate inclusivity in sports.
It was also during this weekend that the new logo of Pride House Milano, designed by students from the IED Institute of Milan, was unveiled.
As a proud representative of Compete Proud and former international field hockey and cricket player, Nikki Symmons joined the launch of Pride House Milano 2026 to speak about visibility in elite sport and the importance of safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ athletes.
“The power of sport lies in its ability to bring people together — across teams, across identities, and across borders,” Symmons said. “Being part of the Pride House Milano launch with Compete Proud was a deeply meaningful reminder that representation truly matters, on and off the field.”
Other Milan Pride Week events included a public panel discussion introducing Pride House Milano to a broader audience. Representatives from Fier Play shared reflections on the legacy of Paris, while Olympian Javier Raya of Compete Proud emphasized the importance of creating empowering spaces for LGBTQIA+ professionals in sport and beyond.
During the final event of Milano Pride, Representatives of Pride Sport Milano, Fier Play, and Compete Proud addressed the thousands gathered after the parade, underlining the significance of Pride House as a lasting tool to foster inclusion, celebrate diversity, and challenge discrimination in sports and society.
“Pride Houses are about visibility, yes — but they’re also about joy, community, and power,” Raya said. “In Milan, we stood on stage not just to represent ourselves, but to uplift every young athlete watching who deserves to feel seen and safe.”
The organizers of the successful Pride House Paris reiterated their support for the upcoming event in Milan.
During the main Milano Pride event at Arco della Pace, the Fier-Play representative offered a flag originally given to them by Pride House Tokyo – from the 2020 Summer Olympics – now entrusted to the Milano team.
This powerful symbol, bearing the logos of the previous Olympic and Paralympic Pride Houses, represents the continuity of our shared commitment and the union between people through sport.
“Building on our actions leading up to and during the Paris 2024 Games, we hope that, through continued collaboration between our initiatives, the legacy of Pride Houses will help to strengthen respect for diversity and the inclusion of LGBTIQ+ people in the international sports movement” said Jérémy Goupille, general director of Fier-Play.
Looking ahead, Arcigay, Fier Play, and Compete Proud have already initiated discussions with Pride House LA/West Hollywood — the next Olympic Pride House scheduled after Milan — to build a lasting bridge that will connect the legacies of past Pride Houses to the future, forming a continuous international network of inclusive sporting celebration.
