Milan-Cortina 2026 sustainable on paper only?

According to the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps (CIPRA), the 2026 Winter Olympics are at risk of becoming a financial and ecological fiasco. In fact, Milan-Cortina 2026 was supposed to be the first Winter Olympics truly committed to sustainability. And the IOC’s sustainability strategy also contains many promising approaches: The use of existing or degradable sports venues, the organization of competitions also outside the host city and host country, and consideration of protected areas. However, preparations for the 2026 Winter Olympics are proceeding differently, CIPRA claims: The comprehensive strategic environmental assessment for all work related to the Games provided for in the bid and in European directives, and repeatedly called for by environmental organizations, has still not been carried out. “With the exception of the decision not to build a new speed skating facility, all other opportunities to give Milan-Cortina 2026 at least a hint of sustainability have been lost,” lament the presidents of CIPRA, Serena Arduino and Bianca Elzenbaumer.

The final decision to build a new bobsleigh track in Cortina was taken despite the IOC’s assurance to Italian NGOs that a solid and sustainable utilization plan would be drawn up for it. This plan is still not available, while the original estimated €60 million cost of the track is currently €80 million and may exceed €100 million. The much more sensible and cheaper alternative of the nearby bobsleigh track in Innsbruck-Igls, Austria, has never been seriously considered. “The track in Cortina, like that of the 2006 Winter Games in Torino, will only be used for a few days and then abandoned. Nothing has been learned from the negative legacy of Torino 2006,” Arduino and Elzenbaumer said.

CIPRA also criticizes the glaring lack of information and transparency in the planning and construction of the infrastructures. The planned construction projects are not in line with either the Aarhus Convention or the Alpine Convention and its protocols – the binding international treaty that commits the Alpine states to the protection and sustainable development of the Alps.

Arduino and Elzenbaumer, therefore, express extreme concern regarding the 2026 Winter Olympics: “We demand an immediate reorientation towards real sustainability. […] In particular, we insist that the IOC ensure that a rigorous and comprehensive environmental impact assessment is conducted before any decision is considered final. We call for the abandonment of a new bobsled run, the meaningful involvement of civil society and the future binding nature of the bid dossier.”

CIPRA also supports an initiative by the Italian association Libera contro le Mafie for transparent, respectful and responsible Winter Olympics.