MILAN — A security guard working an overnight shift at a construction site near a venue for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo died amid extreme cold conditions, Italian authorities confirmed Saturday.
The 55-year-old worker was on duty at a site near Cortina’s ice arena when the death occurred Thursday night, according to Italian media reports. Temperatures in the mountain resort dropped to minus 12 degrees Celsius (10.4 degrees Fahrenheit) during the overnight hours.
Italy’s Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini called for a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the worker’s death.
Organizers of the Milan-Cortina Games said initial information indicated the guard died of natural causes.
“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 said documentation related to the site and the worker’s assignment appeared to be in order but emphasized that authorities are continuing to examine the situation.
“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,” Varnier said.
Officials confirmed that the construction site was not managed by Simico, the government-owned company responsible for delivering Olympic infrastructure. In a statement, Simico expressed condolences to the worker’s family.
Cortina city officials also issued a statement saying they were “deeply saddened and troubled by the death.’’
Cortina d’Ampezzo, a well-known Alpine resort, is scheduled to host curling, sliding sports and women’s Alpine skiing during the Milan-Cortina Winter Games, which are set to run from Feb. 6 to Feb. 22.
The incident comes as preparations continue across northern Italy for the Games, with multiple venues undergoing construction and testing ahead of the international event.
Originally reported by The Associated Press in WTOP.
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