Importance of the Milan/Cortina Olympic Winter Games to the South Tyrol
Hosting a Summer or Winter Olympic Games, is huge for a city or region. These Milan/Cortina Olympic Winter Games are as important as any especially for the small South Tyrol and the Antholz Valley’s biathlon legacy.
“A chance for South Tyrol to show themselves”
Newly minted Olympic Mixed Relay Silver medalist Lukas Hofer who started his sports career in Antholz, emphasized the Games’ importance. “This makes a huge difference for the whole area. This a chance for Antholz and our small “country” South Tyrol to show themselves, what they are able to do, prepare for the future and keep it.”
Olympic Legacy
The Südtirol Arena, one of central Europe’s biathlon legacy venues along with Ruhpolding, Hochfilzen and Oberhof is the only one to host Olympic competitions. That designation is valuable; the Olympic Rings and designation will remain there for time immemorial. The number of people having their photo taken in front of the Olympic Rings will number in the millions.
Rise in Visitors
The regional importance goes beyond photos as the number of visitors expects to rise significantly. Those travelling to the stadium for these Games, the annual World Cup, to watch athletes training in summer, or to hike around the spectacularly scenic lake, add to the local economy whether it’s buying a pizza or staying in local accommodations. Visitors will get a chance to experience South Tyrol’s unique blend of rural German/Italian traditions, enhancing its reputation as a global, high-value destination.
Regional Investments
Beyond those additions to everyday spending, local and regional governments made huge investments into improved roads, transportation links, and infrastructure. Approximately 52 million Euros were spent on sustainable Südtirol Arena upgrades, including new athlete areas, indoor range, revamped tracks and finish loop, the services/media building, and snowmaking systems. Hofer described these improvements as, “perfect. They did everything they needed to make it better for the young guys.”
“For the future and the young generation”
That ie, the future, may be the key point in terms of legacy for a stadium and area that hosted the IBU World Championships six times. Hofer added, “You have to continue with development and how it will be for the future and the young generation. Times have changed and we have to accept this. There is climate change; you have to think about these things to go on with the development and what it will look like for the young generation. The first steps are done; now they have to build on this momentum.”
The Milan/Cortina Olympic Winter Games opened up the South Tyrol and the Antholz Valley to people around the world, showing how old traditions survive and flourish with a forward-looking view of the future.
Photos: IBU/Ola Wizor Archive, Nordic Focus
Sign up for our newsletter
Follow us on:
