By Giulia Segreti
LIVIGNO, Italy Feb 2 (Reuters) – Italy’s winter sports reputation has long been defined by Alpine skiing, but Livigno wants to seize the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to flip that script.
The northern Italian town is banking on the home Games to enhance its status as a centre of excellence for freestyle skiing and snowboarding, disciplines that have surged from grunge‑tinted subculture to fast-growing, youth-driven mainstream attraction.
After some 300 million euros ($360 million) of public and private investments ahead of the Olympics, Livigno is betting big on world‑class facilities.
Local politicians and entrepreneurs are looking to the Games to attract higher-spending visitors and open to new markets – such as China, Japan and the United States – without necessarily increasing overall numbers.
“The strategy is to get to this great and unique event wearing our finest,” Marco Rocca, CEO of Livigno’s Mottolino ski area, told Reuters.
FREESTYLE STRONGHOLD WITH FRESH INVESTMENT
Livigno, one of a group of mountain venues for the Olympics, is already established as a base for snowboard and freestyle — a natural playground whose terrain, infrastructure and culture has attracted riders from across the world.
Over 50 million euros have been invested in the last four years in upgrading Mottolino, now equipped to host halfpipe, big air, slopestyle, ski‑ and snowboard‑cross and parallel giant slalom (PGS), all feeding into a single finish zone to enhance the fan experience.
Lift capacity is being expanded with a new high‑speed cable car and an eight‑seater chairlift, an upgrade aimed at both the Olympics and for the longer term.
“(With) snowboard and freestyle we will be able to guarantee a consistently young clientele… not just athletes or those who practice these sports, but also those who want to keep in touch with this scene. It’s not just about sports but also about identity”, Rocca added.
Luca Moretti, head of the local tourism promotion agency, echoed Rocca’s words, adding that after the Olympics Livigno “will change its skin, in qualitative terms more than quantitative ones”.
SNOW GUARANTEED – WHATEVER THE WEATHER
The high-Alpine setting, isolation and long winters are Livigno’s greatest assets, also known as ‘Little Tibet’.
At 1,816 metres the venue sees plenty of snowfall, but the capacity to generate more has been expanded thanks to a snow-making complex with cannons fed from a reservoir with a capacity of more than 200,000 cubic metres.
The system is complemented by so-called snowfarming, the technique of collecting snow and storing it to use it again when needed.
With a stockpile that can be deployed before natural snowfall arrives or after it melts, it helps Livigno give continuity to its already very long season, protecting training blocks and event windows and reducing the risk of weather‑related disruptions.
“Livigno is known for its guarantee of snow and cold weather,” Moretti said.
The snow systems are designed to outlast the Olympic competition, giving the resort resilience against volatile winters and offering coaches, teams and visitors predictable seasons.
U.S. freestyle skier Jaelin Kauf said last season’s World Cup stop offered a preview of what the Games could deliver.
“It was a great course. It’s long, it’s steep, the jumps were great. It goes right down to the bottom of the mountain into the village, so I think it’s going to be a really great Olympic venue,” she said.
IN TUNE WITH THE ZEITGEIST
Livigno’s push comes at a strategic moment after freestyle skiing and snowboarding rapidly evolved from niche, countercultural pursuits into mainstream global phenomena.
Freestyle events draw young fans with their photogenic mix of style, risk and rapid technical innovation.
Snowboarding, once viewed as an unruly alternative to skiing, surged through the 1980s and 1990s, and its 1998 Olympic debut in Nagano, Japan cemented its wider appeal, turning the cool outsider discipline into a driver of audiences and participation.
For home hopes, organisers are counting on Italian athletes — such as freestyle‑skiing siblings Flora and Miro Tabanelli and Italian riders Lucia Dalmasso and Maurizio Bormolini — to chase medals that could elevate both Livigno’s profile and Italy’s standing.
“Livigno has always been a mecca for winter sports, particularly snowboard and freestyle. The shape of the terrain, the facilities and the atmosphere make it an internationally sought‑after destination,” Bormolini, who was born in nearby Tirano and is based and trains in Livigno, told Reuters.
He said recent upgrades have made the slopes and the snow surface consistently of the highest standard, helping athletes deliver top‑level results.
The home Games, he added, will consolidate Livigno as a world capital for winter sports and “inspire the next generations”.
“It will be an event that leaves an indelible mark on our community and our territory,” Bormolini said.($1 = 0.8378 euros)
(Additional reporting by Lisa RichwineEditing by Keith Weir)
Comments