Olympic Athletes Find Community in Cortina’s Alpine Village as Winter Games Approach

Snow fell steadily over the Cortina Olympic Village on Tuesday as athletes from around the world mingled at outdoor coffee stands, traded national team pins, and soaked in the majestic atmosphere of the Dolomites mountain range.

The village serves as temporary home to approximately 1,400 athletes, coaches and team members during the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games. Located in an Alpine valley just a 10-minute drive from downtown Cortina d’Ampezzo, the facility complements the main Olympic Village situated in Milan.

“It’s just such a fun environment to be here, amongst so many other athletes,” said Cory Thiesse, an American curler. “We’re living all together, training together, eating together. We’re literally at the base of the mountains here. It’s just kind of a dream to wake up in the morning and see the mountains like that.”

The Cortina venue hosts several Winter Olympic events, including curling, women’s Alpine skiing, bobsled, luge, and skeleton. Athletes have personalized the exteriors of their accommodations with national flags, banners, and other decorations to foster team spirit and create reminders of home. Team Canada established their territory with a distinctive red moose statue, which team security staff could be seen carefully brushing clear of fresh snow.

The village consists of 377 trailers, each divided into two rooms that accommodate up to two people per room. Though modest in size, the rooms provide essential amenities including beds, showers, and toilets. Notably, half of the trailers are wheelchair-accessible, an important design feature for the Paralympic Games scheduled for March.

Nick Timmings, representing Australia in skeleton, shares his quarters with his coach—who also happens to be his twin brother. He addressed concerns some athletes had expressed prior to arrival.

“A lot of people were worried beforehand about being in trailers—is there going to be adequate heating and plumbing, and all those kind of things. But we’ve come here and they’re warm. The plumbing seems to be working fine,” Timmings said. “I’m very comfortable.”

Beyond the living accommodations, the village offers comprehensive facilities including a fitness center, recreational spaces, a lounge, dining hall, massage rooms, and a prayer room. These common areas have become important social hubs for cross-cultural exchange.

Ukrainian luger Nazarii Kachmar highlighted the value of these shared spaces, noting he enjoys visiting them to meet competitors from other nations. So far, he has connected with athletes from Canada, Romania, the United States, and Latvia.

An outdoor coffee stand has emerged as a particularly popular gathering spot, where athletes can be seen chatting while waiting for espressos and cappuccinos. De Aundre John, a bobsledder from Trinidad and Tobago, used the opportunity to approach American bobsledders and exchange national pins for their lanyards.

For John, the Olympic experience represents the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. “It’s amazing to be here,” he said, adding that the Italian cuisine has been an unexpected bonus—with the lasagna ranking as his favorite dish so far. Swedish curling coach Alison Kreviazuk similarly praised the dining hall’s offerings, singling out the cannoli as particularly exceptional.

Eva Lune Wiggelendum, who manages the village, emphasized how the location enhances the Olympic experience. “We are in a valley, so we are surrounded by mountains,” she explained. “This is amazing. As you look outside, it’s snowing. So we’re really creating a Winter Olympics atmosphere here.”

When the weather clears, athletes stepping out of their trailers are greeted with a direct view of the ski center—a constant reminder of the competition that lies ahead as the world’s winter sports elite gather in this picturesque corner of northern Italy for one of sport’s grandest international celebrations.

The village atmosphere exemplifies the Olympic spirit, fostering both fierce competition and international camaraderie as athletes from diverse nations prepare to compete on the world stage in the upcoming Winter Games.