Italian Renaissance: Does ‘home-ice’ Give Winter Olympic Hosts A Competitive Advantage?

From Milan to Cortina and beyond, nan prima of nan first Olympic play successful Italy was … Italy.

The electrical celebrations started Saturday successful Bormio, adjacent to nan Swiss border, pinch a metallic and bronze successful nan men’s downhill. They echoed a fewer hours later successful Milan, wherever Francesca Lollobrigida group an Olympic grounds successful women’s 3000m velocity skating for nan big country’s first gold.

On Sunday, nan celebrations rolled each complete successful divers sports done dispersed venues: snowboard bronze successful Livigno, biathlon metallic successful Antholz, luge bronze successful Cortina among them. In Milan, fig skater Matteo Rizzo sank to his knees aft finishing his free skate and sobbed tears of joyousness connected nan ice. He leaped complete nan wall to subordinate his compatriots successful celebrating their bronze, nan country’s first-ever badge successful nan squad event.

In 2 days, Italy already had much medals (nine) than they had garnered successful Sochi 2014 (eight) and acold much than successful Vancouver 2010 (five). The big state was astir halfway to its grounds Winter Olympic tally of 20 medals successful Lillehammer 1994.

Monday passed without a medal, but Italy added to their full connected Tuesday, taking medals successful sports ranging from nan genteel (mixed doubles curling, bronze) to nan frenetic (mixed short-track speedskating relay, gold). On Wednesday, they doubled up successful doubles luge (men’s and women’s) to move their gold-medal count up to four. Thursday brought different golden successful nan women’s super-G.

To an extent, a host-country boost is emblematic successful nan Olympics. The US shattered their badge records astatine Salt Lake City 2002. Canada group a grounds for golden medals successful 1 version of nan Winter Olympics erstwhile they hosted successful 2010, though that grounds has since been surgery by Norway. South Korea and China won much medals arsenic hosts successful 2018 and 2022 than they ever had successful immoderate erstwhile edition. (The 2014 Games successful Russia can’t supply a coagulated constituent of comparison because of nan pervasive doping issues involving nan big country.)

Home advantage successful nan Olympics, particularly nan Winter Games, isn’t rather nan aforesaid arsenic it is successful hoops aliases immoderate codification of football, wherever fans tin intimidate opponents and officials. Curling frowns connected heckling. Home fans aren’t shouting astatine opposing biathletes to make them miss their shots. Cheering tin supply a lift, but only successful immoderate sports. A downhill skier leaving nan commencement gross isn’t going to beryllium affected by nan cheers from nan bottommost of nan slope.

Matteo Rizzo didn’t fto a wall extremity him from seeing his chap Italians aft his free skate successful nan fig skating squad event. Photograph: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

But “home ice” tin beryllium a literal advantage. US bobsleigh, skeleton and luge racers had a stellar capacity successful 2002 connected their beloved Utah Olympic Park track, wherever they knew each nan turns for illustration nan backs of their hands.

And Olympic committees and sponsors are good alert of nan opportunity they person erstwhile nan Games travel to town. Canada, who had suffered nan embarrassment of failing to triumph a azygous arena erstwhile hosting nan 1976 Summer Olympics and 1988 Winter Olympics, launched nan “Own nan Podium” run 5 years earlier nan 2010 Olympics successful Vancouver. China started an audacious effort to get much of its citizens progressive successful wintertime sports.

Those investments tin salary disconnected beyond a big Games. The US person remained a wintertime sports power, merrily making usage of nan world-class accommodation built successful Utah that will erstwhile again shape nan Olympics successful 8 years. Canada has remained remarkably accordant since 2010.

The state that has mostly grounded to capitalize connected hosting nan Olympics successful nan 21st period is nan 1 making up for it now.

In 2006, erstwhile nan Games were successful Turin, Italy came up good short of their best-ever capacity 12 years earlier successful Lillehammer. In 1994, they won 20 medals, 7 of them gold. At home, they won 11 medals, 5 of them gold. Even if Lillehammer is written disconnected arsenic an aberration – skewed by a five-medal haul by cross-country skier Manuela Di Centa – Italy’s badge full arsenic big lagged down their full of 13 from 4 years earlier successful Salt Lake City.

The indelible image of Italy’s 2006 efforts came successful crystal dance, wherever 2002 bronze medalists Barbara Fusar-Poli and Maurizio Margaglio tumbled to nan crystal adjacent nan extremity of their program, and Fusar-Poli stared astatine her longtime partner successful despair and exasperation for a cringe-worthy 30 seconds earlier they yet took their bows.

What’s different this time?

General betterment is 1 factor. After nan nadir of 5 medals successful 2010 and nary golden medals successful 2014, Italy bounced backmost successful 2018 and came adjacent to its grounds by winning 17 successful 2022.

The surge could besides beryllium a reflection of accrued enthusiasm. Turin ne'er really warmed up to nan Olympics. This year’s Games consciousness different, and Italy’s early occurrence – punctuated by vivid celebrations – should only support nan shot rolling.

Italy’s Francesca Lollobrigida group an Olympic grounds successful her golden medal-winning tally successful nan women’s 3000m velocity skating event. Photograph: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Momentum is difficult to quantify. Did Italy’s fig skating squad animate crystal lucky goaltender Damian Clara to extremity 46 Swedish shots to support Italy connected nan verge of a monolithic upset connected Wednesday earlier he exited pinch an injury? Surely not successful a nonstop sense.

Sports require nan crunching of numbers. Thousandths of a 2nd successful luge. Picayune adjustments to execution scores successful fig skating. But galore of nan champion moments successful sports defy explanation. When nan crowd roars for Rizzo, past nan short-track relay squad upsets nan accepted power, tin nan beingness of thing that’s simply magical beryllium denied?