New sliding track in Cortina for 2026 Olympics back on table / Photo: MARCO BERTORELLO - AFP/File
New sliding track in Cortina for 2026 Olympics back on table
Italian deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini has insisted a new track for sliding events at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics could be built at Cortina d'Ampezzo, despite the plans previously being shelved.
Milan-Cortina chief Giovanni Malago told an International Olympic Committee Session in Mumbai in October his organisation had been effectively ordered by the Italian government to move the bobsleigh, luge and skeleton competitions due to spiralling costs.
Malago had said the events would likely be held outside Italy.
But Salvini, also transport minister, told a steering committee for the 2026 Games on Tuesday evening that a new proposal for a track at Cortina could be made.
"The ministry of transport will develop a proposal that will not cost Italians a cent more," the ministry said at the end of the meeting.
"The aim is to present a project to decision makers as soon as possible."
The ministry quoted Salvini as saying: "We have already lost too much time."
The IOC has said it supports moving the sliding sports competitions outside of Italy, although renovating the track in Cesena which was used for the 2006 Turin Games has also been touted as an option.
The 2026 Milan-Cortina organising committee said in a statement it was "waiting to receive the projects (for Cortina and Cesana) in order to carry out a verification phase with the IOC and the international federations concerned".
"The deadline for defining the path forward is set in agreement with the IOC for January 2024," the organisers said.
The organising committee also said it had contacted "the American, German, Austrian and Swiss Olympic committees" in case the unprecedented option of relocating the events abroad was selected.
R.Sutherland--EWJ
Featured