MUMBAI, Oct 16 (Reuters) – The sliding event at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics will be held at a venue outside Italy after the government decided not to pay for a new venue, the organizers say. Commission Chairman Giovanni Malago said on Monday.
Malago told an International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting that the government had decided not to invest in venues for the Games, leaving organizers with no choice but to look for venues overseas.
The sliding center will host bobsled, luge and skeleton competitions during the Games, but Italy’s plans to rebuild it on the site of an old decommissioned stadium have been hit with obstacles from the start. I was facing it.
“The ability to attract some construction companies to carry out complex projects such as slide centers has not been very successful,” Marago said of the tenders launched this year.
“The (Italian) government has communicated that it will consider the best and most sustainable option: not proceeding with the construction of the sliding center and moving the sliding competition to an existing and operational venue.”
“As a result, Milano Cortina will need to identify an alternative venue outside Italy.”
The sliding center near Italy also has venues in Switzerland, Austria, Germany and France.
Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly and Karolos Grohmann.Editing: Peter Rutherford
Our standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.