A security guard working at a construction site near a 2026 Winter Olympic venue in Cortina d’Ampezzo, a mountain resort, passed away during a cold overnight shift, as confirmed by authorities on Saturday. Italy’s Infrastructure Minister, Matteo Salvini, has called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the 55-year-old worker.
Reports from Italian media indicated that the incident occurred on Thursday while the worker was on duty at a construction site near Cortina’s ice arena, with temperatures dropping to minus 12 degrees Celsius (10.4 degrees Fahrenheit) that night. Milan Cortina organizers stated that the worker’s cause of death was a heart attack.
Andrea Varnier, CEO of the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, mentioned during a press briefing at a test event at Milan’s new hockey arena that the available information suggested the death resulted from natural causes, specifically a heart attack. Varnier added that investigations were ongoing to determine the exact cause. The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are set to take place from Feb. 6 to 22.
The construction site where the incident occurred was not under the supervision of Simico, the government entity responsible for Olympic infrastructure, as indicated in a statement from the company offering condolences. Cortina city officials expressed deep sorrow and concern over the worker’s passing.