At the 2026 Winter Olympics, national hospitality houses like Italy’s "Musa" and China’s tech-focused exhibit compete to transform soft power into tangible international influence.
The Triennale di Milano is Caravaggesque. Straddling the western edge of Parco Sempione, the museum contrasts Milan’s urban vibrance with pastoral green lawns. Its rationalist red brick architecture is a sharp break from the gothic spires and neoclassical facades highlighting city center.
A landmark on its own, for the 16 days of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, Triennale di Milano also hosts Casa Italia: Team Italy’s hospitality house that welcomes visitors from around the world.
This is the first publicly accessible iteration of the Italian house. In its 2016 debut in Rio, Casa Italia hosted Italian athletes with the theme of Horizontal, or “the connection between cultures.” In Tokyo, it was Mirabilia, or “wonder as a defining characteristic.” On home turf in 2026, it welcomes the public to the theme of Musa, or the muse.
Officially, the theme of Musa establishes “Casa Italia as a cultural and institutional platform, complementary to sport and projected into a dimension of global relevance.” This pairs well with the slogan of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games: “IT’s your vibe.” In other words, Italy is the muse, the trendsetter, the leader.
Geopolitically, however, the picture is less clear.
Italy’s global political standing is often at odds with itself. Its foreign policy is susceptible to rapid swings, as the government oscillates from left to right-wing leadership, shifts alignment with different allies and trade partners (consider the recent entry into then exit from China’s Belt and Road Initiative), and often changes domestic and international spending priorities. Italy’s international role has primarily been to show solidarity rather than demonstrate leadership.
Does the Italian government wish to change this perception? Considering recent promises to increase NATO spending, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s unique relationship among European leaders with US President Donald Trump, and the newly signed German-Italian Action Plan meant to enhance EU strategic autonomy and cooperation, this seems to be the case.
The Olympic Games present a unique opportunity for Italy to translate its cultural influence into diplomatic influence. Through the government-funded Italian National Olympic Committee (NOC), Casa Italia spotlights Italian art history, music, gastronomy, and sporting achievements. While many mediums populate the nine galleries of the Musa exhibit, a central theme connects all of them: Italy can inspire, and Italy can lead.
But how can cultural diplomacy translate to geopolitical influence? The Olympic Games can signal a host country’s capacity to lead on a global stage. Consider the narratives that China was able to transform with Beijing 2008, that Japan rode into Tokyo 1964, and what Germany sought to tell the world through Berlin 1936. The experience of 2.5 million visitors to Milan (many first-time visitors), impressions on delegations and diplomats from 90 countries, and a potential $6 billion windfall for Italian businesses hinge on how well the Games are executed. The construction of new venues, coordination across supporting organizations, and the activation of major sponsorship deals will be observed with additional scrutiny by Organizing Committees for the Olympic Games (OCOGs) and their stakeholders. Not only will successful implementation create a culturally immersive experience for visitors and viewers, it will also establish credibility for when Italy positions itself as a global leader away from the Games.
Italy’s neighbors also see the Olympic Games as an opportunity to enhance their public image. With open access and nominal entry fees (if any), European hospitality houses offer a window into each country’s approach to public diplomacy. The House of Switzerland’s Flora Alpina theme tells a story of shared geography and neighborly goodwill, belying Switzerland’s increasingly unsettled outsider status to the EU and NATO. Bidding for the 2038 Olympic Games, Switzerland takes inspiration from Italy’s “diffuse” approach to hosting events across many regions.
To the southwest of city center, the TeamNL House corroborates the Netherlands’ image as a vibrant, youthful country with raucous live performances and colorful medal celebration parties. At the same time, Brussels House Milan expresses the theme of “embracing imperfections and celebrating the beauty of authenticity,” counterbalancing the city’s reputation for bureaucracy. Its sister house is located in a pub just east of the Arca della Pace, complementing these efforts with its offerings of pilsners and lagers.
While the hospitality houses of Italy and its European neighbors share themes of cooperation (or Armonia), approaches differ with the larger countries such as China and the US. While China House offered free tickets on their webpage, many were quickly claimed by Chinese nationals via social media channels such as WeChat after an advance registration and review process. Within the China House, sections dedicated to cultural heritage, sporting history, and technology (featuring a dancing robot and robotic dogs) tell the story of China’s transformation from antiquity to modernity. Sports artifacts bridge the gap, from a display of ancient skis to the regalia of Beijing 2022.
The emphasis on emerging technologies is unmistakable, especially with Chinese partially state-owned technology company TCL’s elevation to The Olympic Partner (TOP) program. Beyond the doors of the China House, visitors and participants in Milan will interact with the technology company daily, including via digital displays at competition venues, their appliances that furnish the Olympic village, and made-for-TV “Athlete Moments.” The narrative around China’s technological growth is constantly reinforced through sponsor activations in Milan, while the inward-facing nature of its hospitality house reveals a “say less do more” attitude towards cultural diplomacy.
The USA Winter House is closed to the public. Hosted by the three national governing bodies represented in Milan (ice hockey, figure skating, and speed skating) independent of the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), the house treated VIPs to access with Team USA athletes. Beyond a small display of artifacts from the US Olympic and Paralympic Museum that connected visitors to US sports culture, elements of the Winter House primarily existed to steward donors and sponsors. According to organizers close to the NGBs, the cost of entry for completely unaffiliated guests was a donation of at least $5,000. The decentralized nature of the Games (with athletes spread across four regions of Italy) and a net loss from operating the publicly accessible Team USA House in Paris 2024 (then €325 per ticket) informed the decision to keep the house private in Milan.
Visitors to the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles can expect even more hospitality houses. Casa Italia and other European houses will travel to LA, along with first-time houses from countries such as Israel.
Given that organizers are claiming that 2028 will be the largest Olympic Games ever held, the US government, through its cultural and sports diplomacy offices at the Department of State, should work with the USOPC to build a robust cultural engagement experience. This should include the addition of a publicly accessible hospitality house that connects both domestic and global visitors to the rich history of US sports culture.
A world power’s approach to diplomacy will always differ from that of middle powers like Italy, Switzerland, or Belgium. However, there are still lessons to be learned about how the world’s premier sporting event can set the stage for effective cultural diplomacy that bolsters a nation’s position of geopolitical leadership.
