Winter Olympics 2026: Legacy of Abandoned Venues in Italy

The 2026 Winter Olympic Games are approaching their final week, showcasing elite athletes from around the globe in northern Italy. Currently, Norway leads the medal tally with a remarkable total of 28 medals, while Team GB ranks 12th among 26 participating nations, having secured three gold medals. With ongoing events in men’s and women’s curling, as well as women’s ski big air and ski halfpipe, Team GB has the potential to surpass its all-time medal record of five, achieved during the Sochi games in 2014.

As the excitement builds around the current games, questions arise about the future of the venues once the athletes depart. Italy last hosted the Winter Olympics two decades ago in Turin, and the remnants of that event reveal a poignant legacy. A collective of urban explorers known as Broken Window Theory recently highlighted how some facilities constructed for the 2006 Winter Olympics have been abandoned, despite millions of Euros invested in their development.

The group explored two significant sites: an ice track in Cesana Torinese and a ski jump venue in Pragelato. The host of their video presentation remarked, “Right now Italy is hosting the world again for the 2026 Winter Olympics, and while these games want to build something that lasts, we went looking for what the legacy can really mean once the athletes are gone and the cameras have moved on.” He emphasized that some of the earlier Olympic venues were simply left to decay.

The video captures the ice track in Cesana Torinese, which, remarkably, remains in good condition after 15 years of neglect. Olympic flags and cameras still adorn the site, alongside a cabinet that once housed the Olympic torch. The host noted, “For two weeks back in 2006, the world’s best athletes rocketed down this 1.4km long course. Twenty years later, the site sits dormant, winding down the southern Alps like a scar through the forest. It was built for 7,000 spectators, but for years now it’s been empty.” Although it hosted limited training events post-2006, the refrigeration system ceased operations in 2011, leading to its continued abandonment.

In contrast, the ski jump venue in Pragelato shows more signs of deterioration, with overgrown vegetation and signs of vandalism. “This site was meant to live on as a national training hub, created to shape the next generation of Italian ski jumpers. But, with space for up to 9,000 fans to watch the spectacle, it was built for a future that never came,” the host explained.

Concluding the video, he reflected on the promises of a lasting legacy associated with the Winter Olympics. “But after seeing what gets left behind, that word can sometimes become an excuse for venues too specialized to reuse and too expensive to keep alive. While the event can create real long-term benefits for local communities, what we witnessed today isn’t sustainability—it’s a bill that lasts for decades. If nothing changes, ‘legacy’ can just become the polite name for the mess left behind when the lights go out.”

In response to concerns about venue usage and sustainability, the organizers of the 2026 games have indicated that approximately 85 percent of the venues in use will be pre-existing or temporary structures that will be dismantled after the events conclude. Additionally, the Olympic Village in Milan is set to be transformed into student housing, while the games are expected to enhance transport and infrastructure in northern Italy.

As the current Winter Olympics unfold, the challenge remains for hosts to balance the thrill of competition with the realities of creating a sustainable legacy that endures long after the final medal is awarded.