Cortina Sliding Centre: the stage for bobsleigh, skeleton, and luge

Within the distributed mosaic of the Milan–Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, taking place between February and March of this year, few projects embody the weight of choice—political, sporting, and symbolic—as powerfully as the Eugenio Monti Sliding Centre: the new bobsleigh, skeleton, and luge track built in Cortina d’Ampezzo to bring sliding sports back to the heart of the Dolomites, set within a natural landscape of incomparable beauty.

With a length of 1,749 meters, a top speed of 140 km/h, and race times ranging between 55 and 60 seconds, the Cortina Sliding Centre stands among the emblematic works of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, now just around the corner. This is not a simple restyling project: it is a return to origins, with a facility rebuilt and reimagined according to contemporary standards of safety, technology, and operational management. At the same time, however, it has become one of the most debated infrastructures of the entire Olympic project.

Cortina is no ordinary venue. It is Olympic history—having already hosted the 1956 Games—an icon of the international imagination and a cornerstone of Italian sporting identity. The route of the new sliding centre lies within an area that has hosted sliding sports since 1923 and partially follows the historic track along the eastern slope of Col Druscié, used during the VII Winter Olympic Games in 1956. The track dedicated to Eugenio Monti—an Italian bobsleigh legend, the famed Rosso Volante, a nickname that alone evokes an entire era—thus becomes a bridge between past and future: on one side, the legacy of a destination shaped by sport and tourism; on the other, the need for a newly built facility capable of hosting events of extreme technical complexity, meeting standards that are now non-negotiable.

Why the Cortina Sliding Centre became the “case” of the Games

Milan–Cortina 2026 was founded on a clear mantra: reduce new construction by prioritizing existing venues and adopting a more sustainable model. It is within this context that the decision to build a new track in Cortina acquired a significance extending well beyond sport. On the one hand, it was an organizational choice; on the other, it became a battleground between those who feared the “cathedral in the desert” effect—with heavy environmental and economic repercussions—and those who defended the importance of keeping sliding events in Italy, disciplines that have historically enriched the country’s medal tally despite a relatively limited number of practitioners.

At the heart of the debate were not only concerns related to construction and its environmental impact (deforestation for the track and significant water consumption for ice production), but also the long-term burden of operation and management. Bobsleigh, skeleton, and luge tracks entail high operating and maintenance costs, and their true sustainability is measured in the years following the Games. For these reasons, alternatives were proposed, including the refurbishment of the Cesana track in Piedmont or relocating the events to Innsbruck, Austria, where a functioning track already exists. In the end, the decision to confirm Cortina as the host venue prevailed—but it is precisely on these issues that the facility now faces its most delicate challenge: becoming a long-term asset.

A race against the Olympic clock

The construction process has been a true race against the Olympic calendar. The works contract was awarded at the end of January 2024, with construction beginning in February 2024 and a tight schedule that included a pre-homologation phase in spring 2025—an essential step to validate the safety and functionality of the track. Final delivery and certification were planned for autumn 2025, leaving sufficient time for testing and commissioning ahead of the Games.

The pressure of this timeline also explains why every setback—inevitable in a project of such complexity—has received immediate public attention. Particularly emblematic was the news of a sabotage incident in February 2025: beyond its investigative aspects, the episode highlighted how sensitive the project had become under the spotlight, especially as inspections and institutional visits were approaching.

In a place like Cortina, the central challenge remains unchanged: how to integrate a highly technical infrastructure into an iconic mountain environment, where landscape, regulatory constraints, and public perception are integral parts of the project.

The technical project of the Cortina Sliding Centre

From a technical standpoint, the Eugenio Monti Sliding Centre has been conceived as a new-generation infrastructure, extending well beyond the competition track alone. The intervention covers a total area of approximately eight hectares, accommodating not only the bobsleigh, skeleton, and luge track but also all the complementary works required for the continuous and sustainable operation of the facility.

At the heart of the project lies the ice track itself, entirely rebuilt according to the latest international standards for safety, controlled speed, and athlete protection. Particular attention has been given to curve geometry, transition zones, and containment barriers, designed to absorb energy and reduce risks during the most critical phases of descent.

A key element is the refrigeration system—the true backbone of the facility: an integrated technological network running beneath the entire track, ensuring stable ice conditions even in the face of climatic fluctuations. The design incorporates energy-efficiency-oriented solutions, aiming to limit consumption and ensure the long-term sustainability of the facility’s operation.

Not just an Olympic venue

Alongside the track itself stand a series of supporting buildings and infrastructures: technical facilities, spaces for athletes and staff, areas dedicated to competition operations, and zones for routine and extraordinary maintenance. All of these elements have been designed not only with the Olympic event in mind, but also with post-Games use already factored in—a crucial condition to prevent the facility from losing relevance once the event concludes.

This forward-looking approach also defines the future role of the site. After the Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, the Sliding Centre has been designated as a competition venue for the Dolomiti Valtellina 2028 Winter Youth Olympic Games, officially awarded in Lausanne on January 30, 2025. It will mark the first time Italy hosts this event, further strengthening the international profile and sporting continuity of the facility.

The declared goal is for the Cortina Sliding Centre to become not merely an Olympic venue, but a permanent hub for international competitions, federation activities, training programs, and the promotion of sliding sports. A challenge that depends not only on the technical quality of the project, but above all on the ability to transform a complex infrastructure into a living resource for the territory, the local community, and the Italian sports system. Because the true success of the Eugenio Monti Sliding Centre will not be measured in 2026, but in its capacity to remain useful, active, and credible long after the Olympic Games have passed into sporting history.

>>> Discover also the Milano Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena, designed by David Chipperfield