The Winter Olympics: Goods and Bads
- luanniewang
- Feb 22
- 2 min read
As the 2026 Winter Olympics draw to a close, I've been once again amazed by all the talent, athleticism, and sportsmanship (and Alysa Liu is THE coolest)!
However, watching an event of this magnitude has made me think about its environmental effects. So, what is the Olympic Committee already doing with Milano-Cortina? And what could they do better?
GOODS
Using existing competition venues. For the 2026 games, 85 percent of the competition venues were already existing. This means less of the natural environment was destroyed/disrupted to build the complex courses used for the competitions.
Temporary, reusable living. In various locations for the athletes to stay, an Olympic Village has been planned to be reused as student housing after the Games, another Village built from recyclable units is going to be repurposed, and some athletes live in designated local hotels.
Clean energy. The majority of the venues used renewable electricity, with backup generators using biofuel. Even the Torch used renewable fuel, and the medals (made with recycled metal) were cast with renewable energy!
BADS
Huge water use. Milan-Cortina was estimated to need about the equivalent of 380 Olympic swimming pools for snowmaking, and rivers have been drained to accomodate this.
Mountain environments threatened. Mountain ecosystems are under-stress from tourism, and parts are still being destroyed to create arenas and courses, despite the overall attempt to use existing venues.
Adds to carbon emissions. The travelling of both athletes and audience to the Games contributes to carbon emissions that are melting natural environments for skiing and winter sports.
The Olympic Committee is making efforts to improve the sustainability of the Games, but we must always push to be better. The future of the Winter Games must be especially considered as global warming melts snowy regions and manmade ice depletes water sources. Still, this doesn't take away from all the athletic achievements, but should be seen as an opportunity to further develop sustainable, eco-friendly living, infrastructure, energy, and transportation!
Sources:
What was your favorite moment from the 2026 Olympics? Chat with me at luanniewang@gmail.com!
