Background - The Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, held from February to March 2006, featured certain sporting events taking place near Briançon, in the Hautes-Alpes department. A public health surveillance system was established by the Hautes-Alpes Departmental Directorate of Health and Social Affairs and the Southern Interregional Epidemiology Unit to rapidly detect any situation that might warrant preventive or public health control measures and to guide interventions in the event of an epidemic or environmental pollution. Method - Surveillance was conducted from January 30 to March 15, 2006, in the Briançon district, whose population (25,000 residents) triples during this period due to tourism. Mortality was monitored through deaths recorded by the Briançon civil registry and the analysis of death certificates in the study area. A network of nine physicians, monitoring gastroenteritis, influenza, and measles, was established. Two laboratories in Briançon provided information on the tests performed. Activities in the emergency departments of the Briançon Hospital Center and the Hautes-Alpes SAMU were monitored. The systems for reporting notifiable diseases and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning were strengthened through awareness-raising among reporting officials. Upstream, preventive measures were organized in Briançon and the surrounding area: food safety compliance, increased self-monitoring, improved water treatment, awareness campaigns on Legionella and CO risks, and inspections of ski equipment standards. Data was collected daily or weekly depending on the partner, but any unusual health event had to be reported immediately. The data, analyzed daily, were transmitted to health authorities each evening. A weekly bilingual report was sent every Friday to partners, Italian health authorities, and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Results - Partner participation rates approached 100%, and information transmission deadlines were met. No health events were identified in the monitored area. Mortality data, as well as emergency department activity (average 58 visits/day) and emergency medical service (EMS) activity (average 94 cases/day), were comparable to those of the same period in the previous year. For their part, the Italian health authorities did not report any particular events. Discussion - This surveillance system proved to be appropriate and complementary to inspection and control activities. Its high level of acceptance likely stems from the partners’ understanding of the system, which is structured around the permanent, non-specific surveillance framework established with hospitals, the emergency medical service (Samu), and civil registries, supplemented by ad hoc systems (physicians, laboratories). Alerting the relevant stakeholders has laid the groundwork for the essential collaboration required in the event of an epidemic or environmental contamination. (R.A.)