Only 10% of projects completed with one year to go
With less than a year until the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, only 10% of the planned infrastructure has been completed. Along with unfinished venues and facilities, transparency is also lacking. No public data is available on several projects, funding details, environmental impact, or measures to prevent last-minute delays from shifting costs and consequences onto workers and the environment.
This alarming gap has been highlighted by Open Olympics 2026, a coalition of organizations that just released its second civic monitoring report: “With less than a year until the Games, here’s what the Open Milan Cortina 2026 portal data reveals.“
Currently, the portal provides information on 94 out of 100 planned projects, with a total estimated cost of €3.4 billion. However, progress remains slow:
- 50% of projects are still in the design or bidding phase and have yet to begin.
- Only 6 out of 59 projects scheduled for completion by February 4, 2026, are finished—just 10% of the total.
Current project status:
- 6 projects have been completed.
- 40 projects are under construction.
- 8 projects are still in the bidding phase, awaiting contractor selection.
- 40 projects remain in the design stage.
Milan Cortina 2026: Where is the carbon footprint data?
Concerns over the environmental impact of the Games are mounting, as critical carbon footprint data remains unavailable. The civic monitoring report highlights a major lack of transparency regarding the environmental assessments of the projects.
An analysis of permits and approvals shows:
- 60% of projects did not undergo an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as it was deemed unnecessary.
- 16% of projects have undergone some form of environmental impact verification.
- 23% of projects are currently under preliminary review to determine if an EIA is required.
How much will these projects actually impact the environment? This remains an open question. According to the report, most projects avoided formal environmental evaluations through extraordinary commissions, circumventing the initial commitments outlined in the Olympic bid.
Advocates are calling for comprehensive CO2 footprint data, both for the Games as a whole and for each individual project, covering direct and indirect emissions. The report notes that the Sustainability and Legacy Report for the Winter Olympics itself describes this indicator as “necessary to accurately quantify and monitor greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to the Games.”
With deadlines looming, another major concern is how costs and environmental risks might be offloaded onto workers and oversight mechanisms. The push for rapid project completion raises concerns about labor conditions, environmental safeguards, and overall project quality.