Olympics

Are the Winter Olympics destroying themselves?

OLYMPIC OBSERVERS | Student perspectives on the business, politics and culture of the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games.

Olympic rings at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Veneto, Italy
Estimated Read Time:
2 minutes
The Olympic rings in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Veneto, Italy, site of the downhill skiing competition at the Milano Cortina 2025 Winter Olympic Games. Photo by David Dibert.
The Olympic rings in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Veneto, Italy, site of the downhill skiing competition at the Milano Cortina 2025 Winter Olympic Games. Photo by David Dibert.
Estimated Read Time:
2 minutes
By

Ryland Chapiel

The Winter Olympics may very well be destroying themselves. The event has a history of leaving a massive carbon footprint which affects host city environments for years to come. The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics promised to be a sustainable event, but are they delivering? Can the Games continue to exist even as their operations contribute to climate change and destroying the very places the Games take place?

Selling the green dream

The Milano Cortina 2026 organizers made several promises about sustainability when bidding for the Games. Promises from the organizing committee included using more sustainable transport such as low emission options for athletes and spectators and reducing the overall carbon footprint of the Games.

“The 2026 Games will represent an invaluable opportunity to inspire our stakeholders, partners and spectators, through the values of sport, suggesting concrete and tangible sustainability actions fundamental elements of our legacy for the future,” said Andrea Varnier, CEO of Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 in the Sustainability and Legacy Report for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Report published in the lead up to the games in November of 2023. “… It is up to all of us, together, to make them a reality.” 

Counting the carbon cost

The massive carbon footprint of the Winter Olympic Games is well documented. The 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games released a total of 328,000 tons of CO2 emissions. By comparison the Milano Cortina Games are projected to release 965,000 tons, according to a report from the New Weather Institute. That amounts to a 194% increase in CO2 emissions. These CO2 emissions are projected to cause a loss of 5.5 square kilometres of snow and a total of 14 million tons of glacial ice loss, destroying the very environment that the Winter Olympics requires.

The fuel behind the games

As spectators and athletes descend on the Milano Cortina games, their very arrival adds fuel to the carbon footprint. So too, does the business of the Games' partners and sponsor, all having business operations centred on CO2 emissions. Some of the sponsors and partners of the Milano Cortina Games include Eni (an oil and gas company), ITA airways, and Stellantis (automotive company).

Having partners and sponsors who are major contributors to fossil fuel emissions sends a contradictory message when a reduced environmental footprint and sustainable transport were promised by the Games’ organizers. 

Approaching a final season for the snow?

While the organizers of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games promised a sustainable event it appears this won’t be the case. The carbon footprint of the Winter Olympics continues to grow exponentially. A recent Washington Post article estimated the number of cities that are able to host the Winter Olympics will shrink from 93 to 52 by the year 2050. With rapid climate change threatening many cities’ ability to host the Winter Olympic Games and the increasing carbon footprint of the Games accelerating climate change, the Winter Olympic Games may well be contributing to their own demise.

Student Olympic commentary KPER: 4110

About this series

This article is part of a collaborative series produced by students in KPER 4110: The Olympics and the Global Sporting Event within the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management at the University of Manitoba.

Throughout the Winter 2026 term, students are exploring the complex intersection of elite athletics, geopolitical influences and the socio-economic impact of the Olympic movement. By analyzing the Milano Cortina 2026 Games in real-time, this series provides a hands-on opportunity for students to connect classroom learning and the global sporting reality.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the student author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Manitoba or the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management.

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