A 55-year-old security guard working at a construction site near the 2026 Winter Olympics ice arena in Cortina d’Ampezzo died during an overnight shift in minus 12 degrees Celsius (10.4 degrees Fahrenheit) temperatures, authorities confirmed on Saturday.
At a Glance
- The death occurred on Thursday night while the worker was on duty near Cortina’s ice arena
- Organizers stated the cause was a heart attack, citing emergency services
- Italy’s Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini has demanded a full investigation
- The site is not overseen by Simico, the governmental company handling Olympic infrastructure
- Why it matters: The fatality raises questions about worker safety protocols ahead of the February 6-22 Games
The man was stationed at a site adjacent to the arena that will host figure skating and short-track speed skating. Italian media first reported the death on Thursday; local prosecutors have opened a routine inquiry.
“The information we have is that it was a death by natural cause, it was a heart attack. And we are investigating,” Andrea Varnier, CEO of the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, told reporters during a test event at the new hockey arena in Milan.
Varnier added that all required safety documentation for the site “was in order” and that officials are awaiting the completion of the investigation to determine any contributing factors.
“All the documentation that we have was in order. And we are waiting for the investigation to understand what the specific cause was. At the moment, the information we have from the emergency services is it was a death caused by natural causes … while he was on site,” he said.
Simico, the state-controlled company managing Olympic construction, issued a statement expressing condolences and clarified that the site where the guard died is outside its jurisdiction.
Cortina city officials released a brief statement saying they were “deeply saddened and troubled by the death.”
Cortina d’Ampezzo, a resort town in the Dolomites, is set to stage curling, sliding events and women’s Alpine skiing when the Games open in February 2026.
Sarah L. Montgomery reported that temperatures in the valley dropped to minus 12 degrees Celsius overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, well below the seasonal average.
The Milano-Cortina organizing committee has not announced any changes to construction schedules or security protocols in response to the incident.
Key Takeaways
- The guard’s death is the first reported fatality linked to 2026 Olympics construction
- Investigators are reviewing whether extreme cold played any role
- The arena adjacent to the site remains on schedule for test events this winter
- Organizers emphasize the heart attack finding while awaiting final autopsy results
