Investigation open after man ‘froze to death’ at Winter Olympics venue | Other | Sport
An investigation is now underway (Image: Maja Hitij, Getty Images)
A manslaughter investigation has been launched following the death of a Winter Olympics worker. Security guard Pietro Zantonini, 55, died during the night of January 8-9 – a month before the start of the Milano-Cortina Games – while on patrol at the construction site of the Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympic ice rink in the Italian Alps.
A post-mortem examination has indicated the cause of death was a heart attack. However, his family have claimed that working conditions, which included temperatures of -12°C on the night of his death, contributed to him freezing to death. They said Zantonini had repeatedly raised concerns about working conditions, prolonged night shifts and inappropriate protection.
These issues, the family claims, “necessitate a thorough judicial investigation and bring the issue of safety and working conditions on construction sites and in services related to major events back to the forefront, particularly in view of the 2026 Winter Olympics.”
The Public Prosecutor’s Office for the region of Belluno has opened an investigation into “manslaughter with possible aggravating circumstances related to environmental and safety conditions.”
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Reports indicate that Zantonini, employed by SS Security and Bodyguard, was based in a cabin adjacent to the location but was required to conduct inspections every two hours. He reportedly had a small heater for warmth in the cabin, where he spent most of his shift, but told a colleague he was experiencing breathing difficulties before embarking on patrol.
Zantonini died while on duty in Cortina (Image: Getty Images Europe)
Emergency medical personnel arrived at the scene and administered CPR, but were unable to save him. The firm is facing an investigation, and its director, Michele Grassi, has been identified as the principal suspect, according to Corriere delle Alpi.
The post-mortem examination, commissioned by the Prosecutor’s Office as part of the inquiry, attributed his death to an “acute cardiac event” and stated it was “difficult to attribute” to hypothermia.
However, Italian media reports that additional investigations will take place before the end of May to establish whether there is a connection between working conditions and Zantonini’s death, which has currently been recorded as natural causes.
The investigation admits the death is “difficult to attribute” to hypothermia (Image: Getty)
At the time, Andrea Varnier, CEO of the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, said: “The information we have is that it was a death by natural cause, it was a heart attack. And we are investigating.”
Italy’s infrastructure minister, Matteo Salvini, demanded a “full and rigorous investigation” into Zantonini’s death, stressing that worker safety must remain Italy’s foremost concern. Cortina officials expressed that they were “deeply saddened and troubled by the death.”
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The Alpine resort served as a venue for curling, sliding sports and Alpine skiing throughout the Games, which drew to a close on Sunday.
