Enjoying its status as the leading contender to host the 2026 Winter Olympics, the Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo bid received another boost today with a funding promise from the Italian government.

Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said that, if “private funding isn’t enough, we’ll make the final push” to cover the remaining costs.

Salvini’s announcement in an interview with Leggo.it signals a shift after Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio said last month the government would send a letter of support for the bid to the International Olympic Committee, “but as government we won’t provide 1 euro — neither for direct nor indirect costs.”

So far, the candidacy is being financed exclusively by the regional governments of Lombardy and Veneto, two of Italy’s most affluent regions.

Meanwhile, the other two candidates on the IOC shortlist for 2026 are facing problems.

Calgary’s bid was rebuffed on Tuesday when local voters said “No” in a non-binding referendum, while a newly formed government in Sweden has announced it would not provide funding to host the games in Stockholm.