Photographer Giuliano Bevilacqua on chasing the best shots at his 30th Olympic Games: “Passion keeps you alive”

Just a few months shy of his 85 birthday, sports photographer Giuliano Bevilacqua is still showing up for a passion that began over six decades ago.

A veteran in every sense, he is excited to be at Milano Cortina 2026, his 30th Olympic Games. He may be in his golden years, but the Italian still has the heart and eye for a good shot, still 'very much in the game'.

“I will take the stairs,” he tells Olympics.com as he speeds up with his heavy gear to take his seat among the hordes of photographers at the men's figure skating at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.

“It’s the passion…and some luck too, having reached a certain age, another year to go up the stairs loaded.”

Yet another chapter in his life as a sports photographer. The initial spark that ignited his passion for photography at the Olympic Games was Tokyo 1964, an interest that he hopes will propel him to Los Angeles in 2028.

How track and field ignited Bevilacqua’s passion for sports photography

When the joint bid of Milano and Cortina d’Ampezzo was awarded the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, the freelance photographer had just come off covering the 2018 FIFA World Cup, his 13th edition of the tournament.

In 2006, the Olympics were held in Torino, which is approximately 100 kilometres from his hometown of Voghera. Bevilacqua was thrilled that his country would have the opportunity to host the Games once more. He couldn’t wait to get back on home ice.

This February, he returned to Italy from his current home in Alicante, Spain, to chase more shots on the Olympic stage as he has done since making the long trip to the Tokyo 1964 Games, some 62 years ago.

“It was my first time going to Japan. But do you know how I got there?” he posed with a laugh as he took a break from covering the men’s single free skating.

"Taking the Trans-Siberian Railroad from Voghera to Milan and then to Moscow. After travelling by train for six days, I reached Vladivostok in Khabarovsk. I flew to New York and then took a ship to Yokohama.”

A transatlantic trip to get shots, something he had never dreamed of. As a young boy, he set out to be an athlete and was fairly good at it - he even won a regional sprint title.

“I ran 100m and did long jump from the age of eight. Here in Milan, I won the 100m Lombardian title. When I couldn't win any more, I wanted to remain on the track in the world of sport. So, I started taking photographs at athletics events,” explained Bevilacqua.

He then made the decision to pursue a career in photography, a passion that has led him to the biggest sporting events, and allowed him to amass an impressive collection of moments.

Years down the line, athletics is still Bevilacqua’s favourite sport.

"Something like a football player who stays on the field and becomes a coach," he said as he looked forward to more chances to shoot at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the venue for the 2028 Games' track and field events.

And how has his photography evolved over the years?

“It’s got worse,” the multilingual photojournalist said with a chuckle.

"Worse because I'm also physically worse. I can still take good pictures, but I can't compare them to the ones I took when I was younger.

Giuliano Bevilacqua: “Passion keeps you motivated”

Indeed, sports photography is a physically demanding and creative job.

But watching him go through the motions at Milano Cortina 2026, he still deftly combines the technical mastery with the fast lenses to bring out the raw emotion and grit in a shot. Clearly, there's still value in experience.

However, it takes an additional push to return to the sports sidelines after all those decades.

“Because this is such a difficult job, it's the passion that keeps you alive and motivated. You keep taking pictures even when it's raining. You have to go up the snowy mountains of Beijing or Cortina for photos,” he shared of his refined enthusiasm.

Ahead of the Games in Milano Cortina 2026, he was one of 25 journalists honoured by the International Sport Press Association (AIPS) for covering the most Olympic Games - 14 Winter and 16 Summer.

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