Experts claim Olympic games are not as sustainable as they should be
As the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan approach, many athletes and scientists have been raising concerns on the carbon footprint the games will have. Major sponsors have been identified as main contributors to high amounts of emissions. Despite this, the Milano-Cortina Olympic games have partnered with large oil companies and airlines, who are some of the largest pollutants in Italy.
Three major Italian companies are at the forefront of the scrutiny for the increase in emissions. Eni, Italy’s largest oil and gas company is the most significant contributor. Eni already contributes to large amounts of carbon emissions, but studies show each Euro paid to them in the Olympics deal equates to 63.5 kilograms of carbon emissions. ITA Airways is Italy’s national carrier and contributes a large amount of emissions compared to other modes of transport. Environmentalists worry promoting air travel for an event expected to bring in thousands of athletes and millions of viewers will intensify climate impact. Lastly, Stellantis, the Italian car manufacturing company faces criticism as well for their lack of sustainable cars and manufacturing practices.
In a video posted to Instagram, Greenlandic biathlete and environmentalist, Ukaleq Slettemark, says it is “ironic how [winter] sports are being sponsored by the very companies that are threatening their existence” and criticises these companies by saying they “are using winter sports to seem more socially acceptable.” Saying it is “not justifiable to have these sponsorships in 2026.” Slettemark and other competing athletes have launched a petition called “Ski Fossil Free” to help end partnerships between the Olympics and unsustainable companies.
Over the past five years, Italy has lost 265 ski resorts due to rising temperatures. The heating climate endangers winter sports, with many ski resorts becoming dependent on fake snow.
According to a report by Scientists for Global Responsibility, called Olympics Torched, estimated emissions for the games, excluding sponsorship, was calculated at 930,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. This amounts to the same size as 1,300 Olympic sized hockey rinks, or 2.3 kilometers squared of snow cover. The three major sponsors themselves are responsible for more than double of the Olympics already, at 1.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. In total, the Olympics is estimated to cause the loss of 5.5 square kilometers of snow cover and 34 million tonnes of glacier ice.
Today, the number of people killed by air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels is on par with the death toll from tobacco smoking. During the 1988 Winter Olympics, Calgary ended all partnerships with tobacco companies after downhill skier Steve Podborski, among other athletes, refused to be associated with smoking and tobacco due to the harm it caused. John Read, physician and father to skier Ken Read, led the campaign for the 1988 Games to be the first smoke-free Olympics. After the Calgary Games, tobacco sales in Canada dropped by 20 per cent. As of 2010, both the Summer and Winter Olympic games all over the globe became tobacco-free.
To have the high greenhouse gas emissions caused by the Olympics reduced, experts suggest ending deals with high carbon corporations will have a significant impact. They also suggest reducing the number of spectators travelling by air, and implementing an alternative mode of transport, along with avoiding construction of new venues and infrastructure.