“I’ll be behind the scenes supporting Team Italy, feeling a bit like a mentor and a mother hen. I started my Olympic career in Turin, so for me, it’s like closing a circle.” Carolina Kostner on her role at Milan-Cortina
Carolina Kostner reflects on her enduring passion for figure skating, her evolving roles ahead of the Milan-Cortina Olympics, and her hopes to inspire future generations both on and off the ice.
original source: oasport.it dd. 22nd January 2026 by Fabrizio Testa
Crolina Kostner was interviewed by Chiara Siani in the latest episode of Ginnasticomania, a show on OA Sport’s YouTube channel, during Bol On Ice, the famous gala held every year in the province of Bologna, specifically in Casalecchio Di Reno. Here’s a translation of her comments.
Kostner began by focusing on the special opportunity to skate in a region without a strong ice tradition like Emilia Romagna: “I’m so happy, we’re in a beautiful arena and in a city where there isn’t always ice. It’s a great joy to share our passion, our sport, and our hearts with everyone who gives us their time. I’ve been coming here for many years. I carry with me the joy of being part of a group that I see getting younger and younger. In the new generations, you see their desire to grow, to perform. By now, I almost feel like a spectator behind the scenes, enjoying the show. It’s a pleasure to feel almost like the mother of these young people who make me feel young. Not competing anymore, my search is for the desire to skate – the one that comes from the heart, the one to share together. The joy I feel inside is this: creating a moment where time seems to stop and you can forget about everyday problems. It’s been a difficult start to the year; I prepared a program dedicated to two girls, two skaters, who left us far too soon. My thoughts are also with the young souls we have lost.”
Triumphs, joys, disappointments. But who is Carolina Kostner today? “I consider myself a simple girl; I like simplicity, nature, walks – even though I’m always running from one commitment to another. We’re preparing for an Olympics, and I’ll have several roles: one in athlete preparation and another more behind the scenes, in communication. It’s important for me to have time to train and skate. I like cooking, I like gardening, and I even have a little donkey named Olimpia.”
Then she described her role at Milan-Cortina in detail: “I’ll be behind the scenes supporting Team Italy, feeling a bit like a mentor and a mother hen. I started my Olympic career in Turin, so for me, it’s like closing a circle. I’ll also have a role within the technical team of Yuma Kagiyama, who competes for Japan – he has big dreams. I mainly take care of the artistic side, trying to give back to skating what it has given me. As an ambassador, I have the honor of sharing my experience and reminding everyone of the values that sport teaches us. I hope these Games can be a source of energy for our country and our young people. Watching Paris 2024 made me wake up with more motivation – this is the magic of sport.”
At the end, there was a little game: “Carolina in three emojis? I think the sun, the skate, and the smile. A big smile that I carry inside and that skating has given me over the years, which I want to share with others.”
Related topics: Carolina Kostner, Olympic Games
The Olympics celebrate the athlete, not the passport of the coach.
Seeking the best tools or people isn’t a failure of national production; it’s a sign of an athlete’s relentless ambition and willingness to go where they need to in order to get the best possible result.
Also, isolation usually leads to stagnation and outdated methods, while collaboration breeds innovation and daily competition with other skaters that an athlete may not find at home will drive them to work hard and push themselves.
Lastly, for athletes from countries like Ukraine, training 10,000 miles away isn’t a choice, it’s the only way to keep their flag flying while their rinks and sporting grounds are destroyed. Same with skaters from smaller nations or feds that don’t have access to all year round rinks at home.
I don’t understand why skaters are allowed to coach foreign athletes. How great is team Japan if all the coaches are from the west of course that’s not a great example because there are many Japanese coaches, but how can a country claim victory at the Olympics when their own people can’t produce that.?
How is it a victory for your country If you have to train 10,000 miles away in another country?
I’m asking the question to open a debate or to receive clarification thank you