Fanny Smith criticizes Olympic setup in Livigno even as she secures a silver medal

fanny smith, a five-time Olympian, has voiced sharp criticism of the Livigno arrangements for the Winter Games while also standing on the podium with a silver medal. The juxtaposition of public dissatisfaction and athletic success has focused attention on both the event organisation and the nature of the course athletes faced.

What happened and what’s new — Fanny Smith

The most recent developments are twofold and confirmed in on-site accounts: first, fanny smith openly criticized elements of the Olympic setup in Livigno, saying the event lacks the traditional Olympic atmosphere and that promised facilities were missing; second, she won a silver medal in the women’s competition on the long, tiring Livigno course, marking her third Olympic podium finish after prior bronzes.

Her criticisms highlighted a missing spectator stand that had been indicated would exist and the absence of an evening medal ceremony, both of which she said undermined the typical Olympic moments athletes treasure. Team colleagues echoed parts of her assessment: one described the setting as not feeling like the Olympics, while another noted the course offered little technical challenge for certain competitors even after minor changes were made following early tests.

On the competitive side, the race on the extended course produced tightly packed finishes, with the winner maintaining speed on flatter sections while others lost momentum in the many waves. Several Swiss athletes narrowly missed advancing to the final stages, and some eliminated earlier than expected. The snow conditions were widely described as slow, increasing physical strain through every run.

Behind the headline

Context: The two strands — organisational critique and competitive outcome — come from contemporaneous accounts from Livigno. Smith, who has a history of Olympic medals, expressed frustration that the setting did not match her prior Olympic experiences of large crowds and evening podium moments. At the same time, she had been managing inflammation in her back muscles in the lead-up to the Games and had opted out of recent World Cup starts to conserve energy; her podium finish suggests that decision aided her race performance.

Incentives and constraints: For athletes, the priority is performance and safety on race day; for event organisers, logistical limits and local venue capabilities impose constraints. Comments from team members indicate a tension between organisers’ promises and what was delivered on the ground. Athletes also had to adapt to a course that was described by some women as too simple yet physically taxing because of slow snow — a configuration that tends to favour sustained power and technical discipline over risky, high-difficulty features.

Stakeholders: Smith and her teammates are directly affected through competition conditions and ceremonial moments. Athletes who rely on technical course features may feel disadvantaged, while competitors who can sustain speed on flatter sections benefit. Event planners and local hosts face reputational exposure from complaints about unmet expectations.

What we still don’t know and what happens next

• Missing pieces:
  • Whether the promised tribune and an evening medal ceremony will be reinstated or rescheduled.
  • Any formal response from event organisers to the athletes’ public complaints.
  • Detailed technical rationale for the course design choices beyond the brief post-test adjustments that were made.
  • How widespread athlete dissatisfaction is across other disciplines at the same venue.
• What happens next — realistic scenarios and triggers:
  • Organisers address visible gaps: a prompt correction or an added ceremony could follow if pressure from athletes and teams grows.
  • Event leadership issues a statement explaining design and logistical constraints absent a physical fix.
  • Competition continues without further change, shifting attention back to on-course performance and recovery needs for upcoming races.
  • Teams escalate concerns through formal channels if promised facilities remain absent, which could lead to procedural reviews of scheduling or ceremonies.

Why it matters: The contrast between fanny smith’s public critique and her silver-medal result underscores a recurring challenge in elite sport: athlete experience of an event can diverge sharply from results achieved under those conditions. Near-term, the most tangible impacts are on athlete morale and the optics for the Games’ organisers; longer-term, unresolved issues could shape conversations about venue selection, athlete briefing and the standardisation of ceremonial practices at future events.

For athletes and teams, the priority will be recovery and adapting strategy to the physical demands of the course as subsequent races unfold. For organisers, the immediate imperative is how they respond to restore elements of ceremony and spectator engagement that athletes say are missing.