A desperate venture?: The 2026 Olympics now have an ice rink in Italy

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Where will the Olympic races in bobsleigh, skeleton or luge take place in 2026? More than two years before the start of the Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, this question has still not been answered.

It was actually said that the organizers would have to look for a solution abroad, although the natural track in St. Moritz could have good chances. However, the host country fears damage to its image if not all competitions can be held in Italy. This leads to a last – you could say desperate – attempt to build an ice rink in Italy.

Two options of desperation?

According to Italian media, the organizing committee met with the Italian Minister of Sports Andrea Abodi (63). Two options were discussed: a slimmed-down version for the rink in Cortina and a renovation of the ice rink in Cesana, which closed in 2011 and was used for the 2006 Games in Turin.

A project worth approximately 100 million euros was planned in Cortina. However, no construction company was found for the new construction, which was also heavily criticized from an ecological point of view. What a slimmed-down version might look like remains to be seen. Meanwhile, the Cesana ice rink could be made race-ready within a year for 33.8 million euros. With either option, time would be a rare commodity.

“There is a possibility that the railway will be built in Italy. Any further comment on this would be questionable at this point,” Giovanni Malago, president of the Italian National Olympic Committee, told “Gazzetta dello Sport”. Depending on media reports, a decision is expected at the end of this week or in November. One thing is clear: if bobsleigh, skeleton or luge races are to take place in Italy in 2026, the associated construction work should start quickly – regardless of whether this is in Cortina or Cesana. (dti)

Source : Blick