“Promises not kept”
Neureuther looks at the Olympics and is stunned
February 27, 2024, 6:51 p.m
Italy is repeating the mistakes of 2006 at the 2026 Winter Olympics – that is a realization that Felix Neureuther gains during a trip to the venue. The ex-professional actually wanted to tell a nice story – and is now stunned.
Felix Neureuther has a very special relationship with the Olympic Games; it is not just the experiences of his mother Rosi Mittermaier, who died a year ago, that have had a lasting impact on him. The former ski racer took part three times, in 2006, 2010 and 2014. He makes no secret of his great love for winter sports. His critical and sobering look at the 2026 Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo is all the more remarkable.
For the worthwhile ARD documentary “Felix Neureuther – Playing with the Alps”, the multiple World Cup medal winner visited the locations of the Turin 2006 Games, as well as those where the fight for medals will take place in two years. It’s a journey that has clearly frustrated him. Sestriere, for example, where the Alpine competitions once took place, is now a “test-tube city, oversized and soulless.”
For him, Neureuther said of his film, this was “the most shocking thing to see”, with the 39-year-old not least including the towns of Cesana and Pragelato. The bobsleigh track and the ski jumps were there, but they have been rotting there for years without being used again. “I wanted to portray something positive,” says Neureuther about his intention for the documentation – the result was a critical description of the situation, including regional megalomania.
Even the IOC disapproves of the Olympic plans
Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo advertised sustainability, with access to existing sports facilities. The truth is different, Neureuther discovered. “The promises have not been kept.” In 2026 he expects “games of scattered competitions”. The sports facilities are far apart; there are around 400 kilometers between the alpine centers of Bormio and Cortina. From Cortina to Milan the distance is even greater.
As much as Neureuther loves the Olympics and winter sports, he doesn’t sugarcoat anything. Not even when he states: Italy doesn’t seem to have learned any lessons. Antholz is expanding its biathlon stadium, even though the World Cup only took place there in 2020 and the arena there is “perfect”. Cortina now wants to build a bobsleigh track instead of restoring the old one – even the IOC disapproves of this.
“I’m basically looking forward to the Olympic Games,” emphasizes Neureuther in an ARD interview – but he calls for changes. The Olympics must give hope: “For me, this is what we have to preserve for future generations: the natural cultural landscape in the Alps, the fascination of the mountains, protected habitats, established places, culture and nature in balance.” The reality is different.