Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics candidature file vs reality

Milano-Cortina 2026, candidature file vs reality (1)

The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, initially welcomed as an opportunity to relaunch tourism and the economy of the area while respecting the environment, now find themselves at the centre of a heated public debate on the appropriateness of holding major sporting events.

One year before start, let us draw a comparison between the candidature file, i.e. the Olympic ‘promises’, and the reality, in order to assess the impacts, in economic, ecological, and social terms.

The international context: a paradigm shift

In several democratic countries, public discontent with major sporting events has led to historic decisions, highlighting a shift in public opinion on the role and impact of the Olympics. In recent years, many countries have expressed growing opposition to the organisation of the Olympics, driven by concerns about costs, environmental impact and management of public resources. An emblematic example is Innsbruck, Austria, where in 2017 a referendum rejected the plan to bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Citizens expressed fears about the potential high costs and environmental impact of the event.

In Switzerland, in the canton of Valais, a similar referendum blocked the candidature for the 2026 Winter Olympics. In this case, voters rejected the idea of using public funds to support the organisation of the event. It seems clear that citizens, where free to express their opinion, are deciding not to support events of this magnitude when they perceive that the benefits do not justify the costs and sacrifices required.

The candidature file: the promise of economic and environmental sustainability

When Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo presented their candidature file to host the 2026 Winter Olympics, their bid was based on two fundamental pillars: economic and environmental sustainability.

Economic sustainability: the dossier promised that for much of the infrastructure needed for the event, existing facilities would be used, thus significantly reducing costs compared to building new ones. The stated aim was to avoid the cost overruns of many past editions. The cost was set at €1.5 billion.

Environmental sustainability: the bid pledged not to build new structures with an impact on the environment, focusing instead on the smart and responsible use of available resources. This approach was intended to ensure preservation of local ecosystems and to comply with the IOC’s sustainability standards.

What happens after the award of the Olympics?

The turning point came after the award.

First of all, the Financial Act approved by the Italian Parliament in December 2019, classified Olympic works as ‘essential, related and contextual’ depending on completion. This distinction allows the completion of many works to be postponed until after the Olympics. The impression is that the aim is to squeeze everything into the ‘Olympic package’: roundabouts, road variants, ring roads, etc.

Then, Milano Cortina Foundation and Simico (Infrastrutture Milano Cortina 2020-2026 Spa) were established in 2020. The former becomes the organising committee whereas the latter is intended to design and implement infrastructure works. From then on, no infrastructure will be subject to an environmental impact assessment (EIA). Only the organisational work will undergo EIAs (or SEAs, i.e. strategic environmental assessments).

The first official list of Olympic works is published in December 2020, featuring mostly roads.

And in 2021 the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) includes a measure to speed up the completion of public works of ‘particular complexity or significant impact’. It is in fact the first step towards commissioning. All the usual control procedures on public works, EIAs and SEAs are therefore virtually excluded, cutting citizens out of the decision-making process.

The Olympic works and their costs

Today, no one can say with certainty how many works actually revolve around the Olympics, because there is no single database from which this information can be drawn. Moreover, many works are and will be subcontracted, making data retrieval even more difficult. The current reporting mechanism, although consistent with legal requirements, is not sufficient to ensure transparency of public resources management.

Milano-Cortina 2026, candidature file vs reality (2)

The only source of data currently available is Open Olympics 2026, a joint effort led by local communities, NGOs and citizens.

Without claiming to be exhaustive, to date the situation is as follows:

Milano-Cortina 2026, candidature file vs reality (Table 1)
Source: Open Olympics 2026
Milano-Cortina 2026, candidature file vs reality (Table 2)
Source: Open Olympics 2026
Milano-Cortina 2026, candidature file vs reality (Table 3)
Source: Open Olympics 2026

It is clear from the available data that the costs have risen from the initial estimate of €1.5 billion to €5.72 billion. Sixty-eight per cent of the funds are earmarked for road works that will promote road transport, mainly fossil fuel-powered road transport.

A missed opportunity for sustainability

The candidature file promised low costs and very minimal works, in line with the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020. The reality is quite different: the total costs will be close to €6 billion and the planned works, instead of focusing on existing facilities, include new infrastructure, often considered unnecessary and expensive. Just to mention one example: the bobsleigh track in Cortina, a project costing over €120 million that risks becoming yet another white elephant after the Games.

Moreover, most of the works have not been subjected to either an EIA or an SEA, contradicting the candidature file, which promised transparency and participation.

The fragile Alpine ecosystem will be exposed to greater pressure: new ski lifts, reservoirs for artificial snow production, slopes and roads. This is happening against a backdrop of global warming, where slopes at medium and low altitudes face increasing snow shortages and are unable to survive without public funding (90% of ski slopes in Italy are artificially snowed over). No legacy, i.e. no future prospects, can be glimpsed in all these ‘investments’. Yet the word ‘legacy’ appears at least a dozen times in the candidature file!

The bobsleigh track: the epitome of waste of money

The bobsleigh track in Cortina is emblematic of the waste of money. Despite the availability of alternatives in Innsbruck and St. Moritz, the decision was made to build a new facility from scratch, costing over €120 million. 500-600 (according to official numbers, though it seems the actual number is 2,000) centuries-old larches were felled to make way for the track, while the future running and maintenance costs (estimated at over €1.5 million/year) will weigh on public coffers. In view of all this, it is fair to ask who will really benefit from this project, as Italian bobsleigh and skeleton athletes number just a few dozen.

Social impact: gentrification is lurking

In Milan, the Olympic Village in the Porta Romana area is at the centre of controversy. While on the one hand it promises to develop a degraded area, on the other it risks accelerating the gentrification process already underway, pushing the middle class and the less affluent towards the suburbs. This model is reminiscent of London and Paris, where major events have often transformed entire neighbourhoods into residential and commercial areas unaffordable for the majority.

An Olympic model that should be rethought

The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, look more and more like a ‘plundering’ of space and public finances, rather than an opportunity. Major sporting events need a rethinking, in economic, ecological and social terms. The legacy of the Games should be a model of sustainability and respect for the environment and communities. For Milan Cortina 2026, unfortunately, the time for promises is over. Only the facts remain, and they do not seem to live up to expectations.

(From an article published on the website of MW Italy: Olimpiadi Milano Cortina 2026: opportunità o saccheggio? written by Nicola Pech)