A year later, Italy will welcome the world to the Winter Olympics, but could instead compete for medals more than 4,000 miles away in the US.
Cortina’s sliding centre, staging bobsled, skeleton and luge, faces competition with time to get ready.
The venue has been completely rebuilt on a century-old truck for over £72 million approved by the Italian government.
The official deadline is March if the new truck must have been iced, tested and certified. Lake Placid in New York is a confirmed alternative despite its fairly close proximity to world-class trucks such as Austria’s IGLS and Switzerland’s St. Moritz.
Andrea Varnier, CEO of Milan-Cortina 2026, told BBC Sport:
“That’s why it’s Plan B, but we’re really going to stay in Cortina as much as possible.”
Varnier admitted that if the slide event fails to be held in Italy it would become a “disconnected game.”
“That’s what we’re feeling,” he said. “It’s good for athletes and it’s good for the audience to have an atmosphere (in Cortina).
But he remained full of hope, adding, “We are progressing and are monitoring it together with the International Olympic Committee.”
