Winter Olympics 2026: Environmental Costs Spiral as Italy Hosts Games
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy, are poised to deliver breathtaking athletic performances, yet the event's financial and environmental costs continue to escalate dramatically. As athletes like Isabella Wright of the USA train on slopes requiring an entire reservoir for artificial snow production, the sustainability of these Games faces intense scrutiny.
Historical Context and Modern Excess
Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic movement, initially opposed winter sports, describing them as "completely useless" with no practical application. Despite his reservations, the first Winter Olympics were held in Chamonix in 1924, featuring just 16 countries and five sports. A century later, the Milan-Cortina Games will host 3,500 athletes from 93 nations across 19 days of competition, reflecting exponential growth that many argue has become unsustainable.
These Italian Games represent an attempt at retrenchment following the grotesque excesses of previous events. Sochi 2014 became the most expensive Games in history, while Beijing 2022 required China to fabricate an entire winter sports resort from concrete, steel, and artificial snow. The International Olympic Committee has struggled to find willing hosts, with Calgary, Innsbruck, Krakow, Oslo, Sapporo, Sion, and Stockholm all withdrawing bids due to public opposition.
Environmental Impact and Construction Concerns
The environmental footprint of the Milan-Cortina Olympics is particularly troubling. Organisers are using approximately 100 million litres of water to produce 50,000 tonnes of artificial snow, necessitating the construction of an entire reservoir. Cortina already possesses an ice track from the 1956 Olympics that was abandoned in 2008 due to disuse, yet a second track has been carved through ancient larch forests at enormous expense.
According to analysis by the World Wildlife Foundation of Italy, part of the Open Olympics movement, 60% of construction works for these Games proceeded without environmental impact assessments, shielded by the mega-event designation. This occurs as nearly 200 ski resorts in the French Alps alone have closed due to shortened winter seasons from global heating and declining snowfall.
Infrastructure Challenges and Future Implications
The Santagiulia ice hockey arena, built on 110 acres of brownfield land south of Milan at a cost of €270 million, continues to resemble a construction site ahead of the Games. This temporary facility will serve only for the two-and-a-half-week competition period before likely becoming another white elephant. The distributed nature of these Games across northern Italy creates logistical nightmares, with an 11-hour journey required between curling venues and men's downhill courses.
Despite IOC sustainability claims, environmental credentials ring hollow when forests are cleared for bobsled runs used merely for fortnightly sliding competitions. The organisation's efforts to ground Games in countries with genuine winter sports cultures face challenges from emerging hosts like Saudi Arabia, which plans a $500 billion desert winter sports resort and has already sent skiers to Milan-Cortina as an advance guard.
Cultural Relevance and Recreational Value
De Coubertin eventually embraced winter Games but maintained that many sports lacked utility beyond recreation. With exceptions like Nordic skiing and skating events, numerous disciplines originated as pastimes for British aristocrats vacationing in St Moritz. Outside northern hemisphere countries with indigenous skiing and skating traditions, these activities remain privileges for well-resourced tourists.
Recreational value alone justifies athletic pursuit for many, with speed providing its own reward and thrilling television viewing. The Games promise spectacular entertainment featuring twists, flips, turns, dashes, crashes, and dramatic finishes. Yet this gloriously silly business carries increasingly serious costs as it grows disproportionately, challenging the very sustainability it purports to champion.
