A security guard at a construction location close to a 2026 Winter Olympic site 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 urged a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the 55-year-old worker. Reports from Italian media indicated that the incident took place 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.
According to Milan Cortina organizers, the worker’s cause of death was a heart attack. Andrea Varnier, CEO of the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, stated during a press briefing at a test event at the new hockey arena in Milan, “We have been informed that the cause was natural, specifically a heart attack. We are currently conducting an investigation.” Varnier added, “All our records were in order, and we are awaiting the results of the investigation to determine the exact cause. As per information received from the emergency services, it was a death due to natural causes while the worker was on-site.”
The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are set to take place from Feb. 6-22. Simico, the governmental organization responsible for Olympic infrastructure, clarified that the construction site was not under their supervision in a statement where they offered their condolences. Officials from Cortina expressed deep sorrow and concern over the worker’s passing.