The most decorated Italian skier of all time and the first athlete in history to win a gold medal at three separate editions of the Olympic Winter Games, Deborah Compagnoni shares with Sylvain Bolt her special connection with the event, for which she serves as an ambassador for the 2026 edition.
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Could you describe your strong connection with the Olympic Games, having become an Olympic champion three times in three different editions?
It’s a bond I feel much more deeply now than I did back then. When you’re an athlete, you live the sporting experience, the challenge and the competition with other athletes with a different mindset. My connection with the Olympics has grown over time. Now, with the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, I’ll be able to relive, indirectly, all the memories and emotions of my racing years. It’s as if, by watching the Games from the outside, you suddenly realise the magnitude of the event and how much athletes’ achievements remain etched in people’s memories.
As you grew up, did you feel the tangible or intangible legacy of the Cortina d’Ampezzo 1956 Olympic Winter Games? In what way?
I’m from Valtellina, from Bormio, but I’ve always had a very strong bond with Cortina, ever since I was little. I won my first important race there (the Italian Youth Championships).. So, from a young age, I skied on the slopes of Cortina. I went back there for regular races early in my career, then for the Italian Championships, and later for the World Cup. Cortina has hosted so many women’s World Cup races that I began returning every year: I won there, I competed there, I lived that territory and its iconic slopes, endowed with a special charm that is also the result of the 1956 Games. And we mustn’t forget the ski jump, an iconic symbol of those Games and now of the city of Cortina itself.
Did the 1956 edition in Cortina, or other editions of the Olympic Winter Games, influence your career as a young skier? Did they inspire you?
I competed in three Olympic Games. From the very first edition I took part in, something shifted inside me in terms of awareness. I realised how participating in the Games – winning them – would change not only my athletic career but also my life in general. My dearest memory is tied to the Albertville Games in 1992. Those were my first Games, and I won. That Olympics left a mark on me; it changed my life. I made a transition: from being a national team athlete, I became an internationally recognised athlete. Skiing became my profession.
Is there something symbolic about the return of the Olympic Winter Games to the Alps twenty years after Turin, and here in Italy?
Finally, the tradition of winter sports will return to the Alps in all its splendour. The Games will be a symbol of unity, and they will support the mountains. We will also see on screen the evolution that has shaped these sports over the past 20 years. The excitement is truly powerful.
What are your memories of Turin 2006?
At Turin 2006, I carried the torch, which was handed to me by Piero Gros, and I then passed it to Stefania Belmondo, who lit the cauldron. It was an intense experience, even just considering the magnitude of that stadium filled with people. Being a protagonist – and no longer just a spectator – of such a moment was incredible. You could feel an endless energy coming from the crowd in that stadium.
Tell us about your role as Ambassador for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
What I want to convey as an Ambassador for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games is the emotion the Games can generate – alongside the ethical side tied to Olympic values and the legacy that will be left to the territories.
You have always been deeply engaged in social causes as a UNICEF Ambassador and through Sciare per la Vita ODV, a volunteer organisation. Could you briefly describe the projects closest to your heart?
People need to help one another because we live in a world full of selfishness and inconsistency. There is great wealth but also great poverty, much joy but also much suffering. Illness can strike anyone unexpectedly – even children. With Sciare per la Vita, our mission has been to support paediatric care in the Lombardy region. At Sciare per la Vita we work to raise funds for organisations involved in researching and treating leukaemic diseases, through the organisation of sporting, recreational and cultural events, participation in various initiatives and many other activities.
What are your expectations for the Olympic Winter Games in your region?
More than expectations, I hope that the people living in our valleys recognise how unique and incomparable our territory is. Its environmental and scenic value is extraordinary. People in Valtellina, though deeply rooted in their land, are not fully aware of its beauty and worth. These Olympics can serve as a social catalyst – a driver of awareness – that can offer so much, not only at an infrastructural level.
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