The Winter Olympics
The Alps have hosted the Winter Olympics on a number of occasions, most recently in Turin in 2006. With Milano-Cortina, the 2026 Winter Games will once again be held in the Italian Alps, despite vociferous criticism. In 2030, the French Alps will be the venue for the Olympic competitions. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is striving for ‘sustainable games’, but this claim has failed every time so far.
A review of the experience gained as a result shows that, in democracies such as Alpine countries, the Winter Olympics face an uphill challenge. People are no longer willing to accept their escalating magnitude, impact on the environment, incalculable costs, or the diktat of the all-powerful IOC. With the Olympic Agenda 2020, the IOC wants to strive for more transparency and sustainability, but the plans for the 2026 Winter Games in Cortina and Milan paint a different picture. This collection of field reports, arguments and technical information illustrates why there is no longer any room in the Alps for the Winter Olympics in their current form.
Articles on the topic
Next generation to bear risk of Winter Olympics
The Swiss canton of Graubünden wants to hold a "sustainable" Winter Olympics in 2022. While the many open questions regarding the candidacy have stirred passions in Switzerland, Munich's candidacy is not quite so controversial. But time is pressing.
Olympic candidacy - a questionable venture?
Forecasts estimate that the 2022 Winter Olympics in Switzerland will cost 4.5 billion Swiss francs - or, as experience shows, even more. Is it worth it? In March 2013 the citizens of Graubünden will go to the polls to decide.
Olympic Games: no benefit to the national economy
Switzerland is once again discussing its candidacy for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Environmental organisations are warning against the ecological and economic repercussions. Even Marco Blatter, former CEO of Swiss Olympic, has been quoted on Swiss radio, saying that he was glad the 2006 Games were not held in the Valais. He added that in Turin/I the Games had grown out of all proportion. "With all the infrastructure investments Turin cost around CHF 4.5 bn; Vancouver is costing around CHF 6 bn; and Sochi 2014 is officially budgeting for CHF 13 bn," reports Switzerland's SonntagsZeitung.
Further information
Feb 17, 2026