Cortina Sliding Track Enters Test PeriodCortina Sliding Track Enters Test Period

Cortina Sliding Track Enters Test Period

 

 

The renowned Italian city of Milan is bustling with preparations for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Ahead of next year's games, 60 athletes have already evaluated the much - debated sliding track. "The track structure is complete. We had it scheduled for completion on March 16, and it was indeed finished on that day," Fabio Saldini, the government commissioner, told The Associated Press last Tuesday. The Italian is in charge of rebuilding the track structure in Cortina d'Ampezzo. On Sunday, construction workers marked this milestone by placing a branch of an evergreen tree across the track. "This branch represents a starting point, just like the moment when a bobsled team gets ready to push the sled down the track," said Luca Zaia, the president of the Veneto region. "I hope people's enthusiasm will grow stronger and stronger, second by second, to match such a grand event."

By Sunday, 20 workers had ensured that the track was covered with ice. Since then, athletes have been conducting test runs, hoping to obtain preliminary certification, the so - called track qualification. "Half of the ice surface is ready as of today," Saldini said. "We had some trouble last week due to high temperatures, rain, and snow. But then we covered the track with nets, and actually, we put too much ice yesterday." In addition to the 60 athletes, 26 coaches and officials from the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, the International Luge Federation, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) were also present. Even just obtaining preliminary approval is crucial to avoid Option B required by the IOC previously. If the Italian track isn't ready in time, Option B would involve moving the three sliding sports to Lake Placid, New York, in the United States.

According to the government agency Simico, last month there was an act of vandalism where a refrigeration pipe was removed and placed across the road. Since then, security measures around the track have been enhanced. Besides the sliding events, Cortina will also host women's alpine skiing and curling competitions during the Winter Olympics. This month, Cortina is setting up pre - fabricated mobile homes in the athlete's village that can accommodate up to 1,400 athletes, which will also be used during the Paralympics. Mattia Gasparri, an athlete from Cortina d'Ampezzo, became the first to test the new bobsled track in the famous Italian mountain resort. "I'm extremely satisfied to be able to say that I'm the first to slide down'my'track because I can see it from my home window," said Gasparri, who is a member of the Italian national skeleton team.

The construction of the bobsled track has sparked controversy, especially because dozens of trees were cut down. Several environmental organizations have filed complaints about the removal of the old Monti track and the tree - felling to make room for the new facility. Due to funding issues, the plan to build a new track in Cortina was almost cancelled last year, and some suggestions even proposed moving the sliding events out of Italy. However, the government and the Veneto region ultimately decided to proceed as originally planned. Milan and Cortina will jointly host the Winter Olympics from February 6 to 22, 2026, and then the Paralympics from March 6 to 15.