What strikes you when attending the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics is not just the spectacle, but the structure.
Multiple cities. Regional clusters. Existing venues reused. An iconic cultural backdrop. These were Games shaped as much by pragmatism and fiscal discipline as prestige.
The spread-out model may have muted the traditional host-city buzz, but Milano Cortina presented a compelling formula.
Over 1.25m tickets were sold with a further 250,000 visitors to fan villages in the first week alone. Record levels of broadcast, streaming and digital engagement too.
It raises a serious question: could the UK ever mount a credible Winter Olympics bid — and would an audacious attempt for 2038 make business sense?
At first glance, the idea seems geographically misaligned. Britain has no Alps, no guaranteed snow, no sliding track or indoor speed skating oval. Winter Games hosting feels like someone else’s terrain.
Changing Winter Olympics model
But the Olympic model is changing. The International Olympic Committee now prioritises cost control, infrastructure reuse and cross-border flexibility. The era of single-city mega-builds — and their financial risk — is fading.
That shift creates opportunity, if approached with commercial logic rather than nostalgia.
Edinburgh–Glasgow 2038: a low-capital model. Imagine a bid anchored in two proven event cities.
Edinburgh with its global stage renowned for ceremonies, culture and prestige, and Glasgow — an established indoor sports hub, host of the 2014 Commonwealth Games and multiple world championships in athletics, gymnastics and cycling.
Both already have the infrastructure for ice hockey, figure skating, short track and curling, as well as venues for opening and closing ceremonies. That alone reduces the capital risk that has undermined previous bids.
Rather than building from scratch, a 2038 bid could focus on upgrading existing arenas and transport. For alpine, Nordic and sliding events, a partnership with Norway could utilise Olympic-grade venues in Oslo and Lillehammer. The flight time from Scotland to Oslo is around 90 minutes — operationally viable and commercially manageable.
Record reach
If there were any doubts about the Winter Games’ commercial strength, Milano Cortina has answered them. Broadcast and digital engagement reached record levels.
In the United States, NBCUniversal reported audience growth of more than 90 per cent versus Beijing 2022. Streaming consumption ran into billions of minutes, albeit time zones plays into that.
Warner Bros. Discovery described Milano Cortina as the most streamed Winter Games ever. By the end of the first weekend, almost 31m Italians — over half the population — had watched coverage on national TV.
IOC digital platforms surpassed 100m users, with social engagement doubling Beijing 2022.
The Winter Olympics are no longer a niche event for alpine nations. With 92 National Olympic Committees competing, and strong audience growth reported in southern hemisphere markets such as Australia and Brazil, they are now a global media property spanning broadcast, streaming and social.
For Britain, hosting would be more than a sporting event. It would provide a multi-week international platform; boosting tourism, elevating sponsors and reinforcing the UK’s organisational and commercial credibility.
The audience exists. The challenge is capturing value without disproportionate risk and the strongest business case lies in sustainability.
Britain 2038?
Public tolerance for underused mega-projects has sharply declined. Investors and partners now assess events through environmental and financial impact. A 2038 bid built largely on existing venues changes the equation.
It avoids speculative speed skating ovals, climate-vulnerable alpine builds and single-use infrastructure with weak legacy. Instead, it offers a fiscally disciplined Games aligned with environmental reality and procurement scrutiny.
One exception merits debate: a UK national sliding centre. Despite lacking a home track, Britain has achieved consistent success in skeleton and bobsleigh. A purpose-built facility — designed as a year-round performance and events hub — could strengthen medal prospects and anchor a visible winter sports cluster in Scotland.
But the case must stand independently of the Games, supported by events, tourism and long-term commercial viability. This would be strategic infrastructure, not Olympic indulgence.
A UK–Norway model would expand, not dilute, commercial opportunity. It would span two winter sports markets, two media territories and two sponsorship ecosystems — while broadening ticket demand across northern Europe, and potentially strengthening north Atlantic trade.
Rather than concentrating economic activity in one alpine region, it spreads opportunity and diversifies revenue.
London 2012 proved Britain can deliver a global event. Glasgow 2014 and Birmingham 2022 reinforced it. A 2038 Winter Olympic bid would not replicate the past. It would modernise the model — a distributed, partnership-led Games built on fiscal discipline and sustainability.
The question is not whether Britain has mountains.
It is whether Britain is ambitious enough to design a Winter Games that is financially credible, environmentally responsible and commercially compelling.
If the answer is yes, 2038 is not fanciful. It is strategic.
Paul Garbett is director of brand marketing and communications at Sanlorenzo Yachts, with past roles with Aston Martin, CSM and Coral Racing.
