Franjo von Allmen may have won three gold medals, but he missed the atmosphere in Bormio. © APA/afp / FABRICE COFFRINI

No atmosphere in Bormio? Ski stars complain.

It's no secret that the 2026 Olympic Games will be characterized by long distances and various competition venues. In Bormio, where the alpine skiing competitions will take place, there's no Olympic atmosphere at all – at least that's the general consensus among the ski stars.

February 13, 2026

From: cst/dpa

Marco Odermatt is certainly no small fish in alpine skiing. The Swiss skier is one of the superstars and is not impressed with the Olympic Games in Italy. "There's absolutely no Olympic spirit in Bormio. There was more of it four years ago in Beijing," said Odermatt. A surprising statement. After all, the Games in China were overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic.

His teammate Franjo von Allmen shares a similar view, comparing the atmosphere in Bormio to that of the World Cup races held there. German Anton Tremmel echoes this sentiment: "Perhaps not one of the best-organized World Cups." And Stefan Rogentin says: "Olympic atmosphere? Zero!" He finds the lack of a medal plaza incomprehensible.

The grandstand has always been full on race days so far. © ANSA / ANNA SZILAGYI

ORF expert Hans Knauß also seems to be no fan of the Olympic destination Bormio. "We're completely cut off from the Olympic family here. There's very little going on. I don't want this kind of atmosphere for the Olympic Games." Alexander Schmid, who will be competing for Germany in the giant slalom, is also very disappointed with the atmosphere: "There's no atmosphere at all. I was hoping for a bit more."

"There is absolutely no Olympic spirit here. There was more of it four years ago in Beijing." Marco Odermatt

Germany's head coach Christian Schwaiger says: "I think the Olympic spirit has been lost in a certain way." He has experienced many Games, "some really great ones, where the sports venues were very centrally located, where you had an exchange with other athletes. That's what creates the Olympic flair."

Despite the Olympics: Many hotels closed

There is no Olympic Village in Bormio; the teams are divided among individual hotels, similar to the World Cup. While fans flock to the town for the races and party, at least near the finish stadium, the streets, restaurants, and bars are noticeably deserted on non-race days. Many hotels and guesthouses also remained closed during the Games.