Italy’s contested Winter Olympics bobsleigh and luge track was given the provisional green light on Friday after a week of testing by the two sports’ international federations.
After numerous setbacks, controversies and only 13 months of construction, the sliding track for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games now appears to be fit for purpose.
“We have successfully completed the pre-approval test runs as part of the homologation procedure,” said Italy’s bobsleigh federation chief Ivo Ferriani.
“Minor adjustments still need to be made and the main focus must remain on completing the construction work, but the feedback we have received from our technical experts, athletes and their coaches has been very positive,” Ferriani added.
The official stamp of approval comes three days after the Cortina d’Ampezzo track’s inauguration.
Italy’s skeleton specialist Mattia Gaspari made history on Tuesday as the first to race down the track.
Since Monday, some 60 athletes representing the disciplines of bobsleigh, luge and skeleton have tested the track.
Work to finish facilities for athletes at the Eugenio Monti facility will now resume.
“The work is scheduled to be completed on November 5th, 2025,” construction company Simico stated.
When work began in February 2024 – late for a project of this scale and complexity – many doubted that it could be completed.
But Transport Minister Matteo Salvini relaunched the project at the end of 2023, when organisers wanted to relocate the 12 bobsleigh, luge and skeleton events to neighbouring Austria or Switzerland due to the lack of a functioning track in Italy.
“I want to thank the workers who came from all over the world to Cortina to create this miracle that represents Italy so well,” Salvini said earlier this week.
In January, Winter Olympics organisers named American ski resort Lake Placid as their “Plan B” if Cortina d’Ampezzo were to fail to be ready in time.
Friday’s announcement suggests the track is firmly on course to be ready for use in 11 months’ time.
Anthony Byron
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