Hades’ Realm of Sports Series
Welcome back to this winter semester’s “The Hades Series,” where we dive into the underworld of crime, sports, and everything in between.
This March, we touch on a subject that has either been your hyperfixation for the past two months, or the one “everyone knows it” thing that you simply couldn’t find any interest in: The 2026 winter Olympics. For those living under a rock, this year’s Italian-hosted Olympics have wrapped up with a neat bow their boiling pot of drama, with scandals, accusations, political call-outs that resulted in boycotts and… Mafias?
That’s right. We tend to think about Italy through the lens of cinematic tropes, often picturing a 70s mafia boss managing things from behind the scenes; yet this common misconception may not be so far off from reality. The Milano–Cortina 2026 Olympics, for instance, had been under investigation due to mafia interventions before it even started. Law enforcements have been on the case since 2024, back when the event was still in its first stages of organization. What began as a routine inspection of procurement documents had rapidly escalated into one of the most complex legal and political crises surrounding an Olympic event, as a web of rigged construction bids, corrupt city planning, and violent mafia-style extortion gradually came to light. Italian police have found smoking gun evidence that the mafia has successfully infiltrated the large-scale event. Arrested individuals linked to the ‘Ndrangheta and Roman criminal networks weren’t just “white-collar” criminals; they were caught threatening local business owners, beating rivals, and even dragging an organizer into the woods at gunpoint to ensure they controlled the local economy and Olympic contracts. Not only that, but investigators identified over 160 workers and 50 companies with ties to organized crime working directly on Olympic sites. By embedding themselves in the sub-contracts of things like parking garages and the Olympic Village, the mafia successfully turned the Games into a massive machine for laundering illegal money and stealing public funds.
Meanwhile, the landlord of the Olympics, or so to speak, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has been under fire due to their close relationship with the scandal due to alleged inside criminal involvement. IOC members sit directly on the board of the foundation managing the money. If billions are being mismanaged or filtered to criminal groups right under their noses, it suggests they either weren’t looking or the system is designed to be “blind” to corruption. Meanwhile, critics are calling the organizing foundation a “transparency black hole.” Since the IOC allows private foundations to manage public money without the usual strict government audits, it creates a perfect environment for bribes and secret deals to thrive.
Why does the Olympics Attract Organized Crime?
Mega-events like the Olympics involve billions in public spending, massive construction projects, and urgent deadlines.
These conditions create long subcontracting chains, which allow criminal groups to hide inside layers of legitimate businesses.
Organized crime groups can exploit these projects through:
- Rigged bids
- Money laundering
- Inflated construction costs
- Labor exploitation
Sources:
- Andy Bull, “A very Italian problem’: inside the fight against the mafia corruption at the Winter Olympics”, Jan. 30, 2026
- Jules Boykoff & Dave Zirin, “Get ready for this year’s undemocratic, debt-ridden, and mobster-infused winter olympics”, Feb. 5, 2026
- Cortina d’Ampezzo, “Milano Cortina transparency questioned again”, Feb. 9, 2026
