Olympics
The 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics are soon to be upon us. As the world awaits the inaugural flame and the athletes prepare for their fateful moments, Italy is preparing to host this iconic worldwide event. Housing the few thousand athletes, along with feeding these hulking humans and supplying them with the necessary facilities is no easy task. Every Olympics, the athlete housing is a topic of discussion and the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympic Games are no different.
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The athletes will be split up between Cortina and Milan depending on their sport. Cortina is a mountain town at 4,239 feet of elevation, which brings breathtaking views alongside its challenging weather. The Cortina athletes, which will include women’s alpine skiing, curling, bobsled, luge, and skeleton, make up about 1,400 athletes that need to reside by the mountain from February 6-22. The housing solution for these games are 377 rented mobile homes located a 10-minute drive north of downtown Cortina.
With the housing outside of downtown Cortina, away from the general public, the athletes gain certain freedoms. The appointed commissioner overseeing infrastructure Fabio Saldidi said to the Associated Press, “It’s located in a very quiet area of Cortina, where you have the opportunity to hear the sound of the mountains, isolate yourself if you wish, concentrate if you desire, or go out for a pleasant workout.” And, if the athletes so desire, access to downtown Cortina is a short drive away, offering the ability to see visiting family as well.
The trailers contains two separate rooms, each equipped with a bathroom and shower. The rooms are about 200 square feet and house up to two athletes. Unlike the last Italian Summer Olympics, where air conditioning was not supplied for environmental purposes but available at the athletes’ expense, this games will come with electric heating in each room. As the Paralympics will be hosted the following month from March 6-15, one room per trailer is properly equipped with handicapped beds, a toilet, and shower.
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The village also provides various common areas. For training and recovery, the athletes have a gym, dining hall, and relaxation areas. There are game rooms for leisure, offices for athletes’ side work (or for some, their 9-5), and a laundromat. The village spans 1.4 kilometers or about a 1 mile span, prompting the athletes located at the edges to bundle up for their 10 minute walk to the facilities. These facility buildings are heated by a thermal power plant running on natural gas, which also heats the village water supply.
Despite it being winter, February is a historically sunny month for Cortina and the Dolomites, with 8 out of 10 days being sunny. Historical trends don’t always prove consistent though, and even with that, stormy days are always dispersed between the sunshine. The athletes are likely to be exposed to the elements right outside of their door, including cold and sometimes harsh winds and snowfall. As winter athletes, however, they will be right in their element.
The total cost for housing these Cortina athletes is €38 million, or $44 million. Each trailer is being rented by the Olympics, but the purchasing cost per trailer for any prospective buyers is €80,000, or $93,000.
This is a temporary village being erected specifically for the Winter Olympics. After both the Olympics and Paralympics Games end, the trailers will be dispersed throughout Italy, many to campgrounds and others to the hockey club in Brunico. The grounds that have been opened to accommodate the village will be returned to their natural state. The trees that were cut to make space will be replanted so as to not impact the natural environment. The commissioner Saldini boasted that “The beauty of a village like this lies in the fact that everything will be removed afterward. Nothing is permanent; the environment will not return to its previous state but will be improved.”
Housing so many athletes is no simple task, and every arrangement comes with drawbacks. At this Olympics, the athletes staying in Cortina will be trading certain comforts and luxuries for the spectacular Alpine landscape. There is little doubt that by February, some athletes will be posting on social media about their living conditions. Past Olympics have had their share of pros and cons when it comes to accommodations—the beloved chocolate muffins at the Paris Games, for example, contrasted with the dreaded cardboard beds in both Tokyo and Paris. This year’s housing situation will certainly bring its own set of virtues and faults.
Given the challenges of housing, feeding, and accommodating so many athletes in an alpine environment, the Olympic committee has covered its bases. Athletes will have sufficient living spaces, recreational and common areas, as well as the very important heating. Not only that, but the Dolomite’s serene landscape will return to its natural state following the Olympics, allowing the inhabitants designed for its harsh weather to thrive again.
