VERONA, Italy — A peaceful anti-Olympics protest under the banner “Olympics? No thanks” drew hundreds of demonstrators in Verona ahead of the Milan-Cortina Winter Games closing ceremony, as activists challenged the use of public money for Olympic infrastructure and disputed organizers’ sustainability claims. Reuters reported the march lasted about two hours and remained outside the event’s security perimeter before easing later in the day.
Protesters said billions of euros linked to Olympic preparations and venues would have been better spent on housing, public health, schools and local infrastructure. Reuters quoted demonstrators criticizing what they described as “concrete monstrosities,” including permanent sports facilities they argue may have limited long-term use after the Games. One slogan cited by Reuters read: “Fewer Games for the few, more homes for everyone.” The Verona protest followed earlier and larger anti-Olympics demonstrations in Milan during the opening phase of the Games, some of which turned violent, prompting heightened security measures across host cities. Reuters and AP both reported increased tensions around Olympic venues earlier this month, making Sunday’s calmer protest in Verona a notable contrast.
A key point of contention remains the Games’ environmental footprint. Organizers have said Milan-Cortina venues are powered with fully certified renewable electricity, with Enel — Italy’s largest electricity company and a Games partner — supplying power backed by Guarantee of Origin (GO) certificates, a European tracking mechanism for renewable energy generation. AP reported Enel said it bought GO certificates to cover the event’s electricity demand. Critics, however, argue that certificate-based accounting does not necessarily change Italy’s real-time electricity mix on the grid, and say the Olympics should be judged on total emissions, construction impacts and transport-related pollution — not only electricity sourcing claims. AP noted that organizers themselves identified energy as a major emissions driver and framed the clean-power strategy as one part of a broader sustainability effort.
The disagreement reflects a wider debate around modern mega-events: whether they deliver durable public value or leave behind debt, underused infrastructure and environmental costs. For now, organizers say the Games are demonstrating cleaner event operations at scale, while activists insist the true legacy will be measured long after the closing ceremony
