The Heavy Equipment That Builds The Winter Olympics

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The 2026 Winter Olympics will bring nearly 3,000 athletes and more than 2 million spectators to Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy from February 6–22. The sporting event will showcase the world’s best contestants facing off head-to-head in a variety of competitions for hardware—gold, silver, and bronze medals—while they proudly represent their countries in the Games.

Behind all the glitz, glamour, and pageantry during the Winter edition of the Olympics, there is a supporting cast of hard-workers and heavy-duty machines that deserve a medal of their own. This skilled workforce is responsible for building and maintaining the venues that host the competitions where athletes showcase their abilities and fans cheer them on.

Here is a closer look behind the scenes of the efforts of the workforce and the heavy equipment that sets the stage for the Winter Olympics.

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First, A Little History

The Winter Olympics debuted in 1924 as the International Winter Sports Week held in Chamonix, France with 16 events featuring skiing, skating, bobsled, curling, and hockey. In 1926, the International Olympic Committee officially reclassified the event as the first Olympic Winter Games.

Cortina, Italy hosted the seventh Winter Olympics in 1956. The area was originally chosen for the 1944 Games, but these were cancelled due to World War II. And while the Olympic Games have been held in Italy two other times (Rome, 1960; and Turin, 2006), this year’s event will feature the first repeat hosting city in the country.

In fact, the 2026 festivities will be co-hosted by Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo—Milan will accommodate the indoor events, such as hockey and skating; Cortina will welcome the outdoor events, such as skiing, snowboarding, curling, bobsled, and luge. The event will utilize several modernized historic sites. This year, spectators will get to see some new competitions, including Ski Mountaineering (Skimo), which includes uphill climbing and downhill skiing; women’s double luge; women’s large hill ski jumping; and mixed team skeleton, where athletes race headfirst down an ice track on a small sled.

Equipment Used for the Winter Olympics

As you can imagine, it takes a monumental effort to construct venues and host the Games, before and after the athletes and spectators arrive. Here are some of the heavy-duty pieces of equipment that have already started shaping the landscape and will be called in to break down the setups once the Games conclude.

• Excavators. One major infrastructure project started well ahead of the Olympics with the excavation of approximately 1 million tonnes of material to temporarily reroute the Piave River to accommodate a widening of the road Statale 51 in the Veneto region of Italy. For major projects like this, ground crews can rely on excavators, dozers, motor graders, loaders, dump trucks, and vibratory rollers.
• Tower Cranes. Cranes were needed to build large venues such as the Arena Milano, plus they were used to support the construction of ski jumping hills in Predazzo. Tower cranes were necessary for construction in the tight urban and alpine settings.
• Dozers. In addition to the river rerouting project, dozers and excavators were used to build large features for the snowboard runs, including big air jumps, halfpipes, and slopestyle course foundations. Graders and compactors were then brought in to fine tune the slopes and create hard and stable foundations for the runs.
• Concrete Mixers. For the bobsled, luge, and skeleton runs, concrete mixers and concrete pumps established the concrete base of the runs where ice was manufactured. Specialized refrigerant pumps and extensive piping created cooling systems for the ice on these courses.
• Snowcats. To create and maintain the groomed trails where cross-country skiing and biathlon events will be held, large snow machines known as snowcats are frequently used.
• Zambonis. The machines that clean the ice for hockey games, speed skating, and skating competitions are known as Zambonis. They shave off the top layer of rough ice, collect the snow from the shaving, then wash the surface with water that freezes to create fresh, smooth ice for sporting events.

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These are just a few of the many heavy-duty machines that will be used during the 2026 Winter Games in addition to the complex host of trucks that haul equipment and materials around the venues. We salute the people who put their heart and muscles into building this spectacular setting.

Reach The Podium

These mighty machines help set the stage so athletes and spectators alike can experience the glory of the Games. And you don’t have to host a global sporting event to see how the power of this heavy equipment can be put to use. Whether you’re working in construction, contributing to infrastructure improvement, or simply working on a home repair, these versatile pieces of equipment are winners on any project.

Barrett Baker

Barrett Baker is a freelance writer with more than 40 years of writing experience. He has worked with the U.S. Department of Energy, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and a variety of advertising and marketing firms throughout his career. In his spare time, he enjoys photography, cooking, and working with animal rescues.

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