Behind the medals: How insurance keeps the Olympics running

From the outside, the Olympic and Paralympic Games look like an intense fortnight of competition. From an insurer’s perspective, the timeline is measured in years.

“We start working with organizing committees when they are still small teams building capability,” Bürgel says. “We are already in contact with Brisbane 2032. Our involvement will grow as they hire staff, contract suppliers, plan venues and establish the processes that will carry the event.”

As that core expands into an organization involving thousands of employees, tens of thousands of volunteers and extensive contractor networks, insurance requirements evolve with it. Early coverage may be comparatively straightforward. As venues are built, handed over and brought into use, the questions shift from delivery to day-to-day operations. Digital systems – ticketing, access control, scheduling and broadcast feeds – introduce cyber exposure. 

The pressure point is always response: if something happens on a Sunday night at a remote mountain venue, who is notified first, what information is needed and how do you mobilize the right expertise quickly?

People sometimes assume there is one big “Olympics policy”. In reality, the Games rely on different kinds of cover working together – property and liability, cyber protection, medical assistance, transport and more.

The categories may sound familiar, but the context is not standard. A winter venue is not a typical commercial building. Temporary structures operate under conditions different from those of permanent sites. A disruption to a broadcast feed can become a contractual, reputational and operational issue within minutes. In winter sports, operational dependencies are tighter still: snow quality, temperature swings and wind conditions can affect scheduling, safety and logistics across multiple locations.

The aim is a program where the different covers fit together, reflect local requirements and can be activated quickly when it matters.

Even with a strong framework, underwriting cannot be transferred one-to-one from one host city to another. Each edition is built around its host environment: local regulations, venue design, geography and the capacity available in the insurance and reinsurance markets.

Milano Cortina 2026 is distinctive because it is geographically distributed across several competition clusters spanning Milan and multiple alpine venues. That split footprint changes the operating reality: how people travel, how equipment moves and how quickly weather can disrupt plans. A centralized Olympic Games can rely heavily on public transport and shorter transfers. A Winter Olympics involves mountain access, road transfers, weather-sensitive routes and specialist equipment that keeps venues functional.

Bürgel points to the many examples that never appear in highlight reels but which are essential to operations and must be insured: vehicles, temporary infrastructure and the systems that connect venues, people and schedules across multiple sites.

A practical example is ticket and travel cancellation cover, which becomes especially relevant in winter. Bürgel notes that seasonal flu waves can hit hard, and Italy is already seeing elevated flu activity this season. For fans who have saved, planned and traveled to attend the Games, getting sick at the wrong moment can mean losing the cost of tickets, transport and accommodation, turning what should be a once-in-a-lifetime experience into a significant financial loss.

That is why Allianz expects significant activity around trip and ticket cancellation insurance: it is small compared with the Olympic and Paralympic Games’ headline covers, but it makes a tangible difference to individual spectators when plans fall apart through no fault of their own.

As the Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Insurance Partner, Allianz works with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the organizing committee to shape the cover needed for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and to coordinate contributions from Allianz entities and the wider market. The partnership began in 2021, building on Allianz’ collaboration with the Paralympic Movement since 2006, and extends through 2032.

Deanim Jadean, Global Technical Manager for the Olympic and Paralympic Partnership, coordinates underwriting programs across Allianz Property & Casualty units, from local markets to Allianz Commercial and Allianz Partners.

“The Olympic and Paralympic Games bring many risks together in one place and time,” Jadean says. “Thousands of interconnected assets, people and operations compressed into weeks. No single carrier can carry that alone. The responsible approach is a market effort supported by reinsurance capacity, with policies written for the host environment.”

Insurance becomes tangible through response capability. During the Olympic and Paralympic Games, claims can range from routine to severe: spectator injuries, vehicle incidents affecting transport schedules, equipment damage in transit, warehouse fires, or weather damage that forces a rapid operational pivot.

“We align claims processes across Allianz entities and lines of business, agree interfaces with organizing committees and brokers, and ensure 24/7 availability,” Jadean says. “That means defined escalation, clear ownership and the ability to mobilize expertise quickly.”

On any given day during the Games, Allianz deploys a team of on-site experts with diverse specializations, supported by additional teams working remotely. It may sound like a large deployment, Bürgel says, but it reflects the reality of what needs to be covered. “Given the breadth of risks we support – and the speed at which incidents can escalate during a live event — it is not that many people,” she adds.

Jadean emphasizes the wider objective: “The goal is not simply paying claims. It is keeping the event stable. That means agreeing in advance who does what, assessing incidents in a consistent way and being ready around the clock, so small problems do not become bigger disruptions.”

In a Winter Olympics, this challenge is amplified by geography. Dispersed venues mean dispersed incidents, difficult access and tight timelines. Response planning must assume that multiple issues can arise at the same time, in different places, under changing conditions.

Allianz’ Power of Unity campaign often highlights sport’s emotional impact: moments that bring people together across borders and backgrounds. In risk management, unity shows up in the work itself.

The Olympic and Paralympic Games depend on coordination among the IOC, organizing committees, public authorities, suppliers, volunteers, athletes and a broad insurance and reinsurance market. Within Allianz, the partnership connects teams that do not always work side by side: underwriters, claims, risk engineers, legal, marketing, communications, events and local experts who need to be ready to respond if an incident becomes operationally disruptive or reputationally sensitive.

When those links are tested in advance – who calls whom, who decides, who communicates – the event is better protected, and the audience never notices the work happening underneath.

Bürgel does not lose sight of the action. She is a winter sports fan, excited about alpine skiing, moguls, figure skating and the tactical intensity of short track. That enthusiasm is not separate from risk management.

The best outcome, she says, is an Olympic and Paralympic Games where the hard work stays in the background because the event runs safely and smoothly – and athletic excellence can take center stage.