The anticipation among fans that once surrounded the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games has been shrouded with nothing but multiple controversies as we almost reach the near of its opening. But the latest update on something that happened at the construction site of this prestigious event has left many numb.

As reported by The Guardian, the 55-year-old worker, who was identified as Pietro Zantonini, passed away while on duty at a construction site near the Cortina d’Ampezzo mountain resort on the night of January 8, 2026.

That evening, temperatures in the famed Dolomite resort plunged to a severe 10.4°F. Following this tragic news, Italy’s Infrastructure Minister, Matteo Salvini, swiftly called for a full investigation.

Mayor Gianluca Lorenzi and Cortina city officials also released a statement, saying that they were “deeply sorry and disturbed by the death.”

Explaining the cause of the worker’s death, Andrea Varnier, CEO of the Milano Cortina Olympic Games, told reporters: “All the documentation that we have was in order. And we are waiting for the investigation to understand what the specific cause was.”

He added, “At the moment, the information we have from the emergency services is it was a death caused by natural causes … while he was on site.” However, the grieving family of the 55-year-old worker had a different story to tell.

They have filed a formal complaint with the authorities and are being assisted by lawyer Francesco Dragone. The family claimed that Zantonini had repeatedly expressed concerns about his working conditions. These included successive night shifts and a lack of adequate protective measures against the extreme cold.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belluno has ordered an autopsy, which will reveal whether Zantonini’s death was caused by his working conditions and the harsh weather or not.

Roberto Toigo, secretary general of the UIL Veneto union, also chimed in, saying, “We await the work of the investigators and the result of the investigation. It would certainly be extremely serious if the 55-year-old had paid for his sense of duty with death. Pending the necessary clarifications, we stand with the victim’s family, affected by such a grave loss.”

Apart from this tragic event, safety concerns have mounted in the lead-up to the Games, especially at the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

The winter Olympic Games faces rink troubles at the hockey arena

The women’s hockey games will start on February 6, 2026, and during the first-ever test at the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, a few days ago, the match was paused as “a giant hole in the ice” emerged, as reported by Chris Johnston on social media. This happened during the Coppa Italia semifinals when the Kaltern Caldaro Rothoblaas and HCMV Varese Hockey were playing against each other.

The player who was on the ice, Florian Wieser, clarified the situation, saying, “Clarification about the ice conditions at Santa Giulia Arena: Was the ice perfect? No, it was on the softer side and the small hole was of course a bad look. But we expected much worse and the ice didn’t affect the game negatively.”

He added, “I had the chance to speak with the responsible for the ice,  he said that the ice quality is going to be no problem, ice quality will improve drastically when people are skating on it and when the ventilation starts to work in the next days.”

However, this wasn’t the only issue at the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. The entire arena could’ve hosted 14,000 people, but it was forced down to just 11,800. The building also had unpainted drywall, unfinished concrete floors, and holes in the exterior.

These issues even made it tough for the arena to sustain an optimal temperature. So, with just a few weeks remaining, only time will tell if the staff will be able to solve these existing issues.