A security guard working at a construction site near a venue for the 2026 Winter Olympics in the mountain retreat of Cortina d’Ampezzo passed away during a cold overnight shift, as confirmed by authorities on Saturday. Italy’s Infrastructure Minister, Matteo Salvini, has called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the 55-year-old worker.
Reports from Italian media indicated that the incident occurred on Thursday while the worker was on duty at a construction site near Cortina’s ice arena, with temperatures dropping to minus 12 degrees Celsius (10.4 degrees Fahrenheit) that night. The Milan Cortina organizers stated that the worker’s cause of death was a heart attack.
Andrea Varnier, the CEO of Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, mentioned during a press briefing at a test event at the new hockey arena in Milan that the available information suggested the death was due to a natural cause, specifically a heart attack. Varnier emphasized that they are conducting an investigation to ascertain the precise cause. The Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina are set to take place from Feb. 6-22.
The construction site where the incident occurred was not under the supervision of Simico, the governmental organization in charge of Olympic infrastructure, as per a statement released by the company offering condolences. Authorities from Cortina expressed deep sorrow and concern over the worker’s passing.
