Olympic venues hope to leave a sustainable legacy

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illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on Euronews or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: The Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics are wrapping up under scrutiny over whether they will leave a truly sustainable legacy
• Organisers say the Games prioritised upgraded venues and multi-use infrastructure over large-scale new construction

🔭 The context: Venues were spread across Milan and mountain towns like Cortina d’Ampezzo, using existing ski slopes, arenas and transport networks
• Milan’s Olympic Village, built on a former rail yard, will be converted into student housing, while Arena Santa Giulia is designed for long-term multi-purpose use
• In Cortina, infrastructure upgrades and a new Sliding Centre aim to reinforce its status as a winter sports hub

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Winter sports are increasingly vulnerable to climate change, with shorter, milder winters driving reliance on artificial snow, an energy- and water-intensive solution
• While reusing infrastructure reduces construction emissions, increased tourism and snowmaking could raise long-term carbon footprints
• The Games test whether large sporting events can align climate adaptation with lower-impact development

⏭️ What’s next: Success hinges on whether facilities can balance financial viability with decarbonization and community engagement, while avoiding the risk of becoming stranded assets as climate change intensifies.

💬 One quote: “The ultimate measure of legacy will not be the scale of the facilities alone.”

📈 One stat: The 16,000-seat Arena Santa Giulia was designed from the outset for year-round, multi-sector use

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