*This content was translated by AI.
The opening of the 2026 Milan and Cortina D'Ampezzo Winter Olympics is imminent, but there is a lot of concern there. Italy's chronic organized crime problem has been marred, and construction corruption problems are also being revealed.
The British 'Guardian' reported on the 1st (local time) the reality of the mafia and corruption forces targeting the Olympic construction site through an article titled "Extremely Italian Problem."
According to reports, three suspects were arrested in October in Cortina d'Ampezzo, the venue. Two of them are siblings and belong to the gangster 'Iriduchvili', which is related to the Lazio soccer team.
Local prosecutors found that they moved to the region for the Olympic special, took control of drug distribution networks and entertainment establishments, while threatening local councils to rob Olympic-related construction contracts.
The suspect's mobile phone memo, secured by the prosecution, stated a specific requirement: "We want the right to build a garage, an old bakery site, an access road and a circular road." They told the councilman, "This is Cortina. He is accused of making mafia-style threats, saying, "We are the boss here, and we will solve the problem with guns."
Corruption in the construction sector is serious. According to Italy's Anti-Mafia Bureau of Investigation (DIA) statistics, 38% of mafia-related sanctions in 2024 were concentrated in the construction industry. In fact, a construction company that won an order to build an underground parking lot for the Olympics was canceled after its executives were found to be involved with Italy's largest mafia organization, Ndrangeta.
To make matters worse, a recent retaliatory incident at the bobsleigh track construction site in which a core cooling pipe weighing 500 kilograms was deliberately cut and dumped on the road has added to security concerns.
Unpredictable budget execution and construction delays were also under fire. According to the analysis of the civic group Open Olympics 26, the actual cost of running the competition out of the total budget was 1.6 billion euros (about 2.7 trillion won), while indirect construction costs such as road construction reached 4.12 billion euros (about 7.9 trillion won), showing a deformed structure with a bigger belly than a belly.
Of the total 98 projects, 60% have not undergone an environmental impact assessment, and more than half of the construction will be completed only after the conference closes. Even some road works are scheduled to be completed in 2033, prompting criticism that it is a waste of budget.
The Guardian said, "Italian authorities have overstated exceptions that could omit public procurement procedures and transparency monitoring, defining the situation as an 'emergency' due to lack of time. This is a chronic problem in Italy, which opened up an opportunity for criminal organizations to intervene, he pointed out.
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*This content was translated by AI.
