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≡ NEW TRACK ON TIME ≡
It looks like the bobsled, luge and skeleton competitions at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Italy will, in fact, be at the new track in Cortina d’Ampezzo (ITA).
Tony Corlino, the former manager of the Olympic Regional Development Authority’s (ORDA) Olympic Sports Complex in Lake Placid, New York, told the Adirondack Explorer, “The track is going to be fabulous when the time comes.”
Corlino is in Cortina for the pre-homologation testing of the new facility with the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (ISBF), which started Monday and will continue through the weekend.
He called the construction 98% complete, adding, “I was shocked. There are a few things to do, nothing earth shattering.”
The Italian government’s Olympic works oversight company, known as Simico, explained in a Monday post (€1 = $1.08):
“The track, built in the 1920s, has been the scene of prestigious sporting activities, and is now undergoing redevelopment with a total investment of €118,424,000.00.
“This redevelopment is divided into three phases: removal of obsolete parts (already completed, with a part preserved for museum purposes); construction of the new 1,730-metre track that partially follows the historic route with 16 curves and insertion of the work into the landscape with sustainable materials and techniques for a total area of 7 hectares [17.3 acres]; creation of a memorial that tells the story of sliding sports linked to the local area.
“On 31 January 2024, the contract for the works was awarded to Impresa Pizzarotti, with construction work starting on 19 February 2024. The pre-homologation of the track is scheduled for 24 to 30 March 2025. Completion is scheduled for 5 November 2025, with subsequent homologation and delivery to Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 for the Games.”
The entire track will be covered by a green-roofed structure, using a gable roof shape recalling historic Cortina-area architecture. The sustainability project includes the use of liquid glycol instead of ammonia as the cooling agent, with 96% of the ammonia eliminated. About 135 workers have been at the site since February 2024, with 35 sub-contractors and 115 materials suppliers.
A total of 134 athletes and coaches have come to the new track for the trials, including a total of 60 athletes from Austria, Canada, China, Great Britain, Germany, South Korea, Latvia, Romania, Switzerland, Slovakia, and the U.S., with leading U.S. bob driver Frank Del Luca and three-time Olympic champ Kaillie Humphries attending, along with two-time luge Worlds medal winners Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby attending. There are 18 lugers, 34 bobsledders and eight skeleton riders.
Coaches from 22 countries are also on hand, along with IBSF and FIL (luge) federation technical officials.
Lake Placid has been designated as the back-up site in case the track is not finished on time.
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