A Slippery Proposition to Renovate Cortina Bobsleigh Track

(ATR) One of the more intriguing projects associated with the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Games bid is the proposed renovation of the historic bobsleigh track that for decades was synonymous with winter sport in Cortina.

The Cortina sliding track – which was shut down in 2008 – was visited by the IOC Evaluation Commission on Tuesday morning, the first day of inspections of the venues proposed in the Italian bid.

Despite objection, assembled media following the IOC evaluation inspection this week in Italy were not permitted to see the old bobsleigh track on their venue tour.

The 13-curve, 1,350 meter track snakes through the wooded hills just a short walk from town and is forever linked to the legendary Italian bobsleigh pilot Eugenio Monti. He was a six-time Olympic medalist who became a national hero by winning two silver medals at the 1956 Cortina Games. Monti, who died in 2003, was a Pierre de Coubertin medal recipient, an honor bestowed by the IOC to those who demonstrate exemplary sportsmanship.

First built in the 1920’s, the Eugenio Monti Olympic track prospered as a regular stop on the World Cup and was home to nine world championships from 1937 to 1999. However, high costs associated with maintenance and operations forced its closure 11 years ago.

The price tag for the renovation of the run-down venue is estimated at 40 million euros.

"We are obliged to rebuild," Italian Olympic Committee president Giovanni Malago said on Tuesday in Cortina. "The history, the tradition of the track tied to Eugenio Monti – not only a gold medalist, but the symbol of fair play inside Olympic history and Olympic Games.

"Cortina is the only city in Italy that can guarantee to use this track for the whole year with the touristic activity and with several disciplines," Malago adds. "It’s a good investment confirmed by the region, so for us this is not a problem, but is additional value."

The costly project seems to defy the principles of the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020 to use pre-existing venues to reduce Games-related costs. More specifically, the IOC has asked that expensive sliding tracks no longer be constructed.

According to Cortina Mayor Gianpietro Ghedina, the renovation of the track will happen regardless of whether Milan-Cortina wins the 2026 Olympic bid over Stockholm-Are on June 24.

"We are thinking about not just the Olympic moments, but also for a venue that can stand alone even if the Olympics don’t happen," Ghedina tells Around the Rings.

"The Mayor ran his election on the fact that the track will be renovated," adds IOC Olympic Games executive director Christophe Dubi. "So, it is not linked to the Games, it's actually needed for the region."

Milan-Cortina’s challenger Stockholm-Åre plans to reduce its costs by utilizing an existing track across the Baltic Sea in Sigulda, Latvia. It seems that the Italian bid could have also used a current track in either Innsbruck or St. Moritz.

"Its really difficult not to take into consideration such commitment. On the other hand it is also about being objective and realistic so we need to analyze this with our Italian friends," said IOC Evaluation Commission chair Octavian Morariu, referring to passion of the Italian sports officials.

Morariu also noted: "We adapt now to the cities, so we also need to adapt to the local communities and their goals and interest."

Cortina’s mayor insists that the track will attract not only world class competitors, but also will be used by sliding clubs and other recreational participants in a region of northern Italy with a storied tradition of sliding on ice.

Ghedina says all costs for the project will come from the regional government of Veneto, in addition to private investments.

Italian bobsleigh driver Patrick Baumgartner, 25, a 2012 Youth Olympic Games gold medalist, said it is his dream to pilot a sled down the bob run that Monte made famous.

"It would be the most beautiful thing ever because since I began in bobsleigh, I have never slid in Italy," Baumgartner tells ATR. "It would mean a lot to slide on a track where Monte accomplished so many great things."

The Cortina Mayor insists that not only will future Olympians like Baumgartner benefit immensely from a functional sporting facility, but citizens throughout the entire region as well.

"There is a lot of tradition with bobsleigh here – the sliding center will also be sustainable as the Italian Winter Sports will make it home for the national federations. We’ll also have competitions which can bring tourism to the region and bob taxi rides for tourists.

"These activities will hopefully maintain the costs of the track."

Written and reported by Brian Pinelli in Cortina

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