As of: February 8, 2024, 7:24 p.m
By: Fabian Hartmann
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After long debates, it is now clear: the ice track in Cortina d'Ampezzo will be rebuilt for the 25th Olympic Winter Games in Italy in 2026.
Cortina d'Ampezzo/Rome – The ice track for the bobsleigh, luge and skeleton competitions at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy is now to be built in Cortina d'Ampezzo in the South Tyrol region.
This afternoon, Italy's government gave the green light for the construction of a new sports facility in the Dolomites for the 2026 Olympics, as reported by the
German Press Agency
(dpa), among others.
The company Simico, which was commissioned by the Italian government to build the Olympic infrastructure, awarded the construction company Pizzarotti the contract to build the ice track, the Ministry of Infrastructure announced on Friday in Rome.
According to current information, the costs for the new ice track are expected to amount to around 81.6 million euros.
By building the ice track, Italy wants to prevent the hosting of the 25th Winter Olympics, for which Italy has been appointed in 2026, from being outsourced abroad.
Vortex in South Tyrol: New construction of the ice channel in Cortina d'Ampezzo for the 2026 Olympics has been discussed for a long time
The construction was preceded by lengthy discussions.
After the 25th Winter Olympics were hosted in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo five years ago, the organizers initially did not present an ice track in which the bobsleigh, luge and skeleton competitions at the 2026 Olympics could have taken place.
The ice channel in Cortina d'Ampezzo © IMAGO / Camera 4
Due to the high costs of a new building and unsafe use after the end of the Winter Games, consideration was given to moving the event abroad.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), among others, advocated for this.
It would have been the first time in the more than 100-year history of the Winter Olympics that competitions would ultimately not be held in the intended host country.
Olympics 2026: Italy absolutely wants to hold on to the event
However, the Italian government was adamant about holding the event in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini and Sports Minister Andrea Abodi said on Friday they were pleased that the Pizzarotti company will be carrying out the construction of the ice track for the Winter Olympics.
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The decision shows the Italian government's determination to carry out all work for the Games in the best possible way and, above all, in Italy, said the Italian government's Olympic communication.
(Fabian Hartmann)