BORMIO, Italy, Feb 4 (Reuters) – The world’s top men’s alpine skiers have arrived in Italy, but many say the familiar buzz that usually defines the Olympic Games is noticeably absent at this year’s geographically fragmented event.
“There’s no Olympic spirit in Bormio at all,” said Marco Odermatt, the world’s top-ranked skier across three disciplines, after the first downhill training run on Wednesday. His view was widely shared among competitors, who described a muted atmosphere in the small mountain town ahead of its first official race on Saturday.
The Milano Cortina 2026 Games are spread across several locations, including Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Livigno and Bormio, leaving the latter to host only men’s alpine skiing events and ski mountaineering later in the programme. As a result, Bormio will experience Olympic days without any competition at all.
Unlike the Beijing 2022 Games, where men’s and women’s alpine events took place on the same slope, this year’s venues are far apart. The journey between Bormio and Cortina d’Ampezzo takes more than five hours by car, even longer by train, limiting interaction between athletes.
“It’s different. It’s not a real Olympic atmosphere,” said Italy’s Dominik Paris, a four-time Olympian known as the “King of Bormio,” though he welcomed the challenge of the demanding course.
Olympic debutant Giovanni Franzoni said competing at home is exciting but unusual. “The slopes are closed just for us, and we’re not in the Olympic Village,” he said, adding that the quieter setting might help him stay calm and manage pressure more easily.
