The venue, known in English as the Olympic Ice Stadium, was used for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, as well as figure skating, at the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina.

It had a roof added for the first time in the 1980s, and the latest upgrades are expected to construct new changing rooms for wheelchair curling athletes and renovate the stands for spectators.

Work is expected to cost approximately €6 million (£5.2 million/$6.6 million) and take place next year to make the stadium ready for Milan Cortina 2026 test events in 2025.

Milan Cortina 2020-2026 Infrastructure Company chief executive Luigi Valerio Sant'Andrea chaired a decision-making conference attended by representatives of local administrations and bodies involved in the construction of the work which cleared the way for the project.

Sant'Andrea claimed the upgrades would ensure the Stadio olimpico del ghiaccio is fully accessible at Milan Cortina 2026 and serve as an important legacy project.

"We are satisfied with the work done today at the Services Conference, also the result of an intense activity carried out in recent months and which has seen a fruitful collaboration with the Ministry for Disabilities, the Municipality of Cortina, the Veneto Region and with the entire Government control room," Sant'Andrea said.

"From a technical point of view it is a very important intervention for the plan of the Olympic works, but also a 'good practice' of functional regeneration of a sports facility built for the Cortina 1956 Winter Olympic Games, aimed at guaranteeing, in addition to compliance with the technical performance requirements, including the full usability of the facility for people with disabilities, both athletes and spectators.

"[It is] a methodological approach that we believe can be extended to the entire Italian sports facility heritage which in most cases dates back to the 1950s."

Milan Cortina 2026 is due to be held across an area covering approximately 22,000 square kilometres, although preparations have been marred by disruption and delays to construction work.

Some projects, including the new sliding centre in Cortina, have also faced local opposition due to its cost and environmental impact.