Milan-Cortina 2026: so beyond sport, public health is preparing to host the Games

Temporary outpatient clinics will be set up in the Olympic villages. At the end of the event, these facilities will have a new life: they will be transformed into Community Houses or will enrich the territorial health offer, in some cases in isolated territories at least from a health point of view.

Advanced emergency system and coordination models

The rescue network will be reinforced during the Games with new specific vehicles such as snowmobiles and tracked quads that will remain on site. The involvement of volunteer networks and the integration of civil protection and emergency medical services will constitute an important operational model of coordination for other major events in the future, which can easily be replicated in all regions.

This complex infrastructural and organisational investment will leave a concrete mark on the regional health systems not only for the period of the Games, but for the entire future horizon.

If the infrastructure is the backbone, the intangible legacy is the soul of the post-Olympic project. This is where the most important game for a significant legacy is played, especially in the training of human capital and the development of management skills.

A new generation of health managers

The health organisation of a world-class event such as the Olympics represents an immense training ground. The need to set up and manage complex services, operating 24 hours a day, in high-pressure scenarios and according to international standards, requires a qualitative leap in terms of organisation. The medical, nursing, technical and volunteer staff involved will be exposed to strict protocols, meticulous planning and the management of massive flows of athletes, media and spectators.

This experience does not end with the closing ceremony. On the contrary, it is destined to forge a new generation of healthcare professionals and managers. Exposure to international standards and organisational models and the need to operate according to an impeccable schedule will equip them with valuable skills in: Project Management in complex environments; Crisis Management and Risk Assessment; OneHealth, with a focus on interdisciplinary and international collaboration.

The setting up, staffing and management of highly complex health services (24 hours a day, in high-pressure scenarios) provide the entire health system with new organisational skills that can also be transferred to day-to-day management or in emergency contexts.
These professionals, once back in day-to-day management, can become agents of change, bringing with them a working method based on the search for efficiency in a planning context.

Health culture and social inclusion

Alongside the training of managers, the intangible legacy is nourished by a renewed culture of health and prevention. The Milan Cortina 2026 Foundation is already actively promoting campaigns to encourage physical activity and wellness, including mental health initiatives that strengthen the link between sport, prevention and social inclusion.

Prevention is also experiencing a phase of the OneHealth approach based on health that will be ensured in the six Olympic villages (e.g. water and food).

The Olympics and Paralympics thus become a lever for profound cultural change, and Italy hosts the first widespread Olympic Games that allow a broadening of the material and immaterial legacy left by the Olympic Games.

In summary, the health legacy of Milan-Cortina 2026 is configured as an integrated intervention model. The new (material) infrastructure will provide the tools, but it will be the (immaterial) skills that will ensure its effective and sustainable use over time. The most valuable legacy that the Games will leave to healthcare will not only be in the buildings, but in the people: competent professionals and trained managers, ready to lead the regional healthcare system towards a future of greater efficiency, resilience and inclusion.

* Carlo Cattaneo LIUC University and Milan Cortina 2026 Foundation** Milan Cortina 2026 Foundation*** University of Turin and Milan Cortina 2026 Foundation