Cortina Sliding Track for 2026 Olympics Taking Shape
Organizers rushing against a March deadline to finish venue
Posted On: November 21, 2024 By :A sliding center being rebuilt for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games is starting to take shape as the clock ticks to a March deadline, reported The Associated Press this week.
The AP reported through photos shared with it by the government agency in charge of building infrastructure for the Games the outline of the track and wooden railings.
Following a visit by International Olympic Committee technicians, government agency Simico told The Associated Press, “the top part of the track is being finalized. Checks on several different parts of the track are ongoing, with specific attention being made to the refrigeration system.”
Work will continue throughout the winter with nets covering the track to protect it from snowfall. The refrigeration system will be used in reverse — as a heating mechanism — to provide conditions for workers. Simico said this month that 180 workers were at the construction site.
The New York State Olympic Regional Developmental Authority earlier this year proposed the sliding events be held in Lake Placid, New York, as a solution to the drama in Italy. Along with Lake Placid, proposals were submitted from Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
The International Olympic Committee made clear its preference to have the events in either Austria or Switzerland but the 2026 Milan-Cortina organizers instead are rebuilding the Cortina track for $86.4 million.
The Cortina track would need to be certified by the IOC in March to be approved for use in the February 6-22, 2026 Games. What won’t happen in Cortina are test events the season before the Olympics, which is usually when they are held.
Same thing for ice hockey due to be contested in an arena being built in Milan that is behind schedule. Both sliding and hockey test events have been pushed back to the end of 2025.
The 2026 Games will be staged across nearly 10,000 square miles in northern Italy and organizers said earlier this year they are working with the state railway and local authorities to improve public transport between the venues.
“Who is really interested in the skating and hockey very rarely are also interested in biathlon or vice versa,” said Andrea Varnier, the Milan-Cortina chief executive officer. “So they are clusterized already by themselves, by their own habits. The big biathlon fans, they go there and they spend hours in the cold. Maybe they’re not so interested in figure skating.”
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