Milan-Cortina 2026, green light for bobsled track

Milan-Cortina 2026, the runway

Another concrete step to have a chance to get closer to bobsled, skeleton and luge competitions at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics è has been taken. Matteo Salvini, deputy prime minister and minister of Infrastructure and Transport, along with Andrea Abodi, minister for Sport, enthusiastically announced the signing of the agreement between Simico (Società Infrastrutture Milano Cortina 2026 Spa) and the Pizzarotti company. The latter has been chosen to carry out the work necessary for the construction of the facility in Cortina, on the route of the former Eugenio Monti.

The mayor of Milan, Beppe Sala, also mentioned the problem related to the track intended for sledding and skeleton competitions during the 2026 Winter Olympics. The situation seems to be clear: the Milan-Cortina Foundation has given the go-ahead for the construction of the bobsled track in the Veneto municipality, and work is expected to begin on Feb. 19, with Pizzarotti's company promising to complete the work in a timely manner. According to the schedule, everything should be up and running on Jan. 4, 2026, just over a month before the opening ceremony on Feb. 6.

There'è still the question of the opinion of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which had suggested using an already existing track outside Italy. However, the Foundation has decided to continue negotiating a Plan B and evaluate options abroad, such as facilities available in the United States, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The final decision could also come down to logistics, with St. Moritz or Innsbruck as possible geographically more convenient options. The most important date to keep an eye on is March 15, 2025, when the track is scheduled to be tested with the approval of the international federations. However, Cortina will have to be alert to intermediate verification steps and may have to decide on Plan B in advance if significant delays in the work occur.