Speaking during a presentation here on the opening day of the European Olympic Committees Seminar, Varnier said the arena - which is scheduled to host the Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony on February 22 and the Winter Paralympics Opening Ceremony on March 6 - was an extremely important feature to celebrate the athletes.

"One of the concerns in the preparation was the fact that this venue was not fully accessible, so the Government decided to put €18 million (£15.6 million/$19.5 million) to make this venue accessible," he said.

"And I think this is one of the principal legacies of these Games.

"It is a 2,000-year-old site, a Roman amphitheatre, which has been used for 100 years to host a very famous opera festival, but it was not accessible because it is difficult to make such a place accessible.

"But it will be done for these Olympic Games, and I think this is a great achievement."

The Verona Arena was built in AD30 on a site that was then beyond the city walls.

The ludi - organised shows and games - were reportedly so famous that spectators came from many other places to attend them.

The amphitheatre was originally thought to have a capacity of 30,000, although in modern times, for concerts and related events, it holds around 22,000 people.

The arena has also been used more recently to host sporting events such as the closing stage of the 2022 Giro D'Italia.