US EditionPassion and Debts: the Mixed Legacy of the 2006 Turin Games
Turin’s 2006 Olympics reshaped the city but left a €3.3 billion debt and unused venues, highlighting risks for the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Games, study shows.
- When Turin hosted the Winter Olympics 20 years ago, it transformed from an industrial centre into a cultural hub, delivering new venues and its first metro line, boosting Alpine connections.
- Turin's candidacy was dreamed up in the 1990s to reinvent the city and reduce dependence on Fiat, with business backers like Giovanni Agnelli; Marco Gay said, 'It put us on the map.'
- Several mountain venues remain unused, notably the Cesana Torinese bobsleigh track and Pragelato ski jumps, while parts of the Olympic Village were cleared and turned into social housing; 'It took a month just to clear out all the garbage and debris. They did a great job, after the previous administration had literally forgotten about us. Now the neighbourhood is liveable,' said Gilberto.
- Turin is today one of Italy's most indebted cities, with debt falling to 3.3 billion euros at the end of 2025 from 3.5 billion euros in 2024, while nearly 240 million euros in debt-servicing costs consume nearly a fifth of cash expenditure.
- Next month Milano Cortina will co-host the Winter Games on a 5.2 billion euro budget, with Banca Ifis projecting a 5.3-billion-euro windfall including 1.2 billion euros in tourism and 3 billion euros from infrastructure.
20 Articles
20 Articles
Pine Journal
Passion and debts: the mixed legacy of the 2006 Turin Games
TURIN, Italy — When Turin hosted the Winter Olympics 20 years ago, it transformed the city's image from grey industrial home of the troubled Fiat car-making empire to smart Mecca for food, culture and sport. But the event — remembered in the north-western Italian metropolis for its "Passion lives here" slogan — left a legacy of large debts and unused infrastructure that offers a cautionary tale for Milano Cortina 2026. "The 2006 Games were very …
It was 2006 and the alpinist brought the torch to Udine at the XX Winter Olympics in Turin
The Star Kuala Lumpur
InternazionaleOlympics-Passion and debts: the mixed legacy of the 2006 Turin Games
TURIN, Italy, Jan 19 (Reuters) - When Turin hosted the Winter Olympics 20 years ago, it transformed the city's image from grey industrial home of the troubled Fiat car-making empire to smart Mecca for food, culture and sport.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 73% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
