Winter Olympians who have signed up to stay in Cortina d’Ampezzo’s Athletes Village should not expect luxury accommodations or a cozy fire to snuggle up next to after a long day on the mountain.
The temporary Village that will house up to 1,400 athletes and other team members during the Feb. 6-22 Milan Cortina Games consists of 377 rented mobile homes arranged close to one another on a humid valley floor.
The Associated Press was the first international media outlet allowed in for an early look at the facility, which is in an unpopulated area about a 10-minute drive or one-hour walk north of downtown Cortina.
The rooms are simple and spartan.
In exchange for amenities, though, comes close contact to the Dolomites.
“It’s located in a very quiet area of Cortina, where you have the opportunity to hear the sound of the mountains, isolate yourself if you wish, concentrate if you desire, or go out for a pleasant workout,” said Fabio Saldini, the Italian government commissioner overseeing infrastructure for the Games.
“The beauty of a Village like this lies in the fact that everything will be removed afterward. Nothing is permanent; the environment will not return to its previous state but will be improved,” Saldini added. “This is a temporary village, but of high design.”
Providing lodging for athletes is one of the most important responsibilities for Olympic organizers. It’s particularly challenging for the geographically dispersed Milan Cortina Games. Cortina’s trailer park is one of the two main Olympic villages, the other in Milan.
Winter sports powerhouse Norway has chosen to house its skiers in hotels rather than in the official Olympic villages, according to Norwegian news agency NTB.
Many other nations like the U.S. and Germany, plus host Italy, said their athletes will stay in the villages, though it’s unlikely alpine superstars Lindsey Vonn or Mikaela Shiffrin will stay in the mobile home park in Cortina.
Cortina will host women’s alpine skiing, curling, bobsled, luge and skeleton during the Games. The Village will also be essential for the Paralympics, which will be held March 6-15.
“Most of the nations will use the Village, both for the living part and above all for the common areas like the gym,” Saldini said. “Even those staying outside the Village will come here.”
Exposed to elements
Each trailer is divided into two rooms, with up to two people in each room. Every room has its own bathroom and shower. But open the trailer door and athletes could be met with a biting wind each morning or might be treated to unforgettable images of the sun lighting up and reflecting off jagged mountain peaks.
Warm boots, not slippers, might be the best attire for the walk to the big cafeteria for breakfast. Anyone staying in trailers near the outskirts of the 1.4-kilometre long Village will have a 10-minute walk to the common areas, which also include a gym, game room, offices, relaxation areas and laundromat.
A snowstorm made for blizzard-like conditions during AP’s visit in late November, without any permanent buildings to block the wind.
February, though, brings more hours of sunlight to the area.
The altitude at the Village area is 1,292 metres (4,239 feet) – slightly higher than in downtown Cortina.
“There’s just the forest here,” said Paride Casagrande, the Village’s construction manager. “The wind is an element. But it doesn’t blow all day long every day. It depends on the day. There could be very cold days and there could be very comfortable days. But the fact remains that we’re in a natural area where it’s cold.”
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Personalized heating
When organizers of the Paris Summer Olympics announced they would not provide air conditioners in the Athletes Village, the U.S. and other teams brought their own machines, undercutting plans to cut carbon emissions.
Nobody should have to bring their own climate-controlling machines this time.
Every room in the Cortina Village has its own heating controls.
A thermostat regulates a heating unit mounted on the wall and there’s also an infrared panel on the ceiling that helps maintain the temperature, both run on electricity.
“Without much power, the temperature can be brought up to 25-26 degrees Celsius, which should be all that’s necessary,” Casagrande said.
“But it’s all subjective, considering that I’ve been seeing athletes walking around outside in their underwear even though it’s snowing out,” Casagrande added, referring to sliding competitors in town for a test event. “The choice is up to the athletes.”
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Sleeping on wheels
Every mobile home sits on at least two wheels, used only for positioning, not transport, Casagrande said.
The homes were brought to Cortina by oversize-load trucks.
All the rooms are about 18 square metres (200 square feet), with one of the two rooms in each mobile home slightly larger than the other to accommodate Paralympians.
The rooms for Paralympians also have handicap-accessible showers, toilets and beds.
Costs and legacy
The total cost for the Village is 38 million euros ($44 million US).
While the mobile homes are being rented, it would cost up to 80,000 euros ($93,000) to buy one.
After the Olympics and the Paralympics, the mobile homes will be re-used at camping sites around Italy, with some of them already destined for a hockey club in nearby Brunico.
The bigger buildings, also temporary, for the cafeteria, gym and other common areas are already being heated by a thermal power plant running on natural gas that also warms the Village’s water supply. Air handling units placed on top of the buildings regulate the air.
Trees were cut down to set the Village up, drawing some protests from climate activists.
“Most of them were already dead,” Casagrande said. “But we’ve also brought in new plants and [trees]. This is a natural park and we’re going to leave it just as we found it.”
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