Italy Tests Its Controversial Olympic Sliding Track

As construction continues on a rebuilt sliding track for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, Italian skeleton competitor Mattia Gaspari on Tuesday became the first athlete to give it a go—albeit under a temporary roof fashioned from wood and white plastic. The track's very existence has been a contentious one from the start, with the International Olympic Committee—concerned about the likelihood that the century-old track could really be rebuilt in time—having pushed to instead stage the events in Austria, Switzerland, or the US. Olympic bronze medalist Dominik Fischnaller, followed by the two-man team of Simone Bertazzo and Eric Fantazzini, also tested the track Tuesday.

Simico, the government agency heading the $128 million project, reported positive preliminary tests, though the final word on whether it will get preliminary certification, or "homologation," will rest with officials from the IOC, the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF), and the International Luge Federation. The AP reports that securing it would "be a big step in avoiding a backup Plan B option" that would redirect the events to Lake Placid, New York. IBSF head Ivo Ferriani noted the average construction time for a track like this is 700 days, a far cry from the number of days that have been racked up since construction began in February 2024, reports the AFP.

As for the mechanics of the current tests, they involve roughly 60 athletes from 12 nations who will launch their initial runs from the junior start, a good distance below the ramps from where their World Cup and Olympic races would begin. Sliders are set to inch up the track slowly during the testing events, which the AFP reports run through Saturday. Among the athletes giving it a go are two Americans, reports NBC5: USA Luge women's doubles athletes Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby. The 1.09-mile track features 16 curves and allows top speeds of 90mph; runs are expected to last 55 to 60 seconds. (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)