Fewer people do do this sport compared to the 90s, less money is spent on it, etc. In the case of women, at some point this sport was almost abandoned because of the belief that it was impossible to beat Scandinavia ( the times of Norwegian domination with Bjoergen and Johaug at the forefront). Only in the last 2 years has Markus Cramer been hired, who is gradually rebuilding the men's and women's teams. Suffice it to say that the last medalist of the World Championships for Italy in the women's was Arianna Follis in 2011... I will also remind you that in 2022 Pellegrino and de Fabiani trained with the Russian team, because the rest of the Italian team was in such poor shape that they couldn`t train together 

Well that is a totally different question  I too have wondered what happened to Italian cross-country and how there is no one coming for so many years. But it shouldn't take away from the sports where progress has been made. 

Where to Watch guide.  Discovery plus in most of Europe       https://www.ucitrackchampionsleague.com/watch-the-races

Appetite grows with eating. Especially since it's not like we develop in every winter sport... For example, 20 years ago we were a powerhouse in cross-country skiing and now we have only 1 Pellegrino (34 age) and a few talented youngsters. And let's remember that our performance in Turin was objectively weak for us: only 11 medals in total. Now, when I hear that we will to win 2O+, some discipline must definitely add medals and also compensate for the losses in cross-country skiing, for example.

The problem is that this mixed team has never played together since then. There was talk of personal obstacles. I don't know how it`s now.

Well that explains why she is wearing more clothes with every passing day.   Nevertheless that team is still one of the best in the world and is a vast improvement on what Italy was doing 10-20 years ago. 

Any idea where a full schedule can be found yet? I remember last seasons the website was always godawful in terms of providing that basic kind of information..

Constantinis team have made huge improvements since 2022 even if they are not best yet. And Constantini never was world leading in mixed doubles before Beijing olympic either so it is not like she really have lost anything since 2022 either, except not being able to repeat that success.

She had health problems yesterday. Nevertheless, after the gold in mixed doubles with Mosaner in 2022, I counted a bit more on her development. I still think that the biggest chance for us in 2026 will be the mixed team, rather than our teams.

I don't know who Italy should field for the doubles? Sinner has the greatest individual strength but he probably doesn't train with anyone on the team. Last year Sinner played 2 doubles with Sonego in the Davis Cup (two wins) but this year Sonego isn`t in the squad. On the other hand the Bolelli-Vavassori doubles are well-coordinated, as is the Argentine one, but individually these players don't even mean as much as Sinner's 1 hand. For me the Sinner/Berettini option is possible but the question is: did they train together on last day?