Milan, Italy, February 6, 2026: IOC President Kirsty Coventry has a message for all Olympic debutants at the Milano Cortina Winter Games.
In an interview on the Olympics social media challenge, the five-time Olympic swimmer said her advice would be “to take a deep breath” and enjoy the occasion and atmosphere.
“I remember my first Games and I was like ‘what? this is crazy’! There were so many nerves.
“But it would really be to be present, and not be too hard on yourself. You know, things may go really well but things may also not go so well and just know that you should be so proud of being here and that this is the first step to many more exciting things to come.”
Coventry also spoke about the power of the Olympics to unite the world and the impact of the athletes mixing and dining together in the Olympic Village.