Winter Olympics 2026: Reconstruction work continues in the historic Milano Cortina, preparations to hold sliding events 6437 km away
Winter Olympics 2026: Reconstruction work is going on at the historic Milano Cortina Arena in Milan, whose deadline is March, but this construction work does not seem to be completed by then. In such a situation, the sliding events will be held in New York, 6437 km away.
The Winter Olympics will be conducted in Milan, Italy, but a hosting uncertainty regarding sliding events in Milan is yet to be resolved. Reconstruction work is in full motion at Milan's Milano Cortina Arena, whose schedule is March, but it seems work will not be completed in such a short period of time. In such a case, in case of any uncertainty, the administration kept an alternative in mind in the form of Lake Placid Arena in America, but Milan and America's New York City are 6437 km apart. Milan's Milano Cortina Arena will conduct these events for a second time, but this time the host audience may have to be deprived of watching the thrill of sliding events.
The biggest question is why the organizers kept Lake Placid in New York as Plan B despite Austria's Igls and Switzerland's St. Moritz tracks being very close to Milan. Regarding this, Milan Cortina 2026 Chief Executive Andrea Vernier said, "We checked all the available venues and Lake Placid was the only arena that is ready to organize the events without any investment. We can organize the event there even at the last moment."
Vernier said, "The official deadline for Milano Cortina to be fully ready is March. Then this new snow-covered track will be tested. Only after the test will it be given the green signal to organize the games. That's why we have kept Plan B ready. But our effort is to complete the Cortina track in time." Vernier also admitted that if the sliding events are not held in Italy, then these will be the worst games for us as hosts.
The Italian government has spent about Rs 783 crore on the reconstruction of the century-old track Cortina. It is taking time to prepare the sliding center in Cortina, where events like bobsleigh, skeleton, and luge are to be held. Vernier said we are hopeful that sliding events will also be held in Milan. The construction work is in progress and we are monitoring it in collaboration with the International Olympic Committee.
