Construction works for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics have become a focus for suspected organised crime infiltration, according to Italian anti-mafia authorities. In October 2024, three men were arrested in Cortina d'Ampezzo as part of 'Operation Reset', a year-long investigation by the Carabinieri. Two of the suspects, brothers with ties to the Lazio Ultras group, are accused of using 'mafia methods' to control drug distribution, nightclubs, and extort local council for construction contracts related to the Games.
The Italian government's Antimafia Investigative Directorate (DIA) reported that 38% of all anti-mafia measures in 2024 targeted the construction sector, with about 200 public works sites investigated. The DIA warned parliament that the Winter Olympics represent a significant opportunity for criminal syndicates seeking to infiltrate tender procedures. In Lombardy alone, 50 anti-mafia interdiction measures were adopted in 2024, including against a company working on an Olympic-related underground car park whose directors had ties to 'Ndrangheta gangs.
Despite these challenges, anti-mafia groups are promoting transparency. Libera, an organisation founded in 1994, has launched the Open Olympics 26 programme to make public procurement more transparent. Its key achievement is securing a commitment from Games organisers to publish all financial dealings on a public portal updated every 45 days. This has revealed that only €1.6bn of the total €5.72bn budget is for direct Games realisation, with €2.816bn allocated to road projects, many not completed until after 2033.
Leonardo Ferrante of Libera noted that Italy should be known not only for the mafia but also for its anti-mafia movement. The arrested brothers, who are not mafia members, allegedly threatened and beat rivals, dragged a nightclub owner into the woods at gunpoint, and attempted to corrupt a councillor. 'This is Cortina, we're in charge here,' they reportedly said during their arrest. The case highlights ongoing efforts to combat corruption ahead of the 2026 Games.
