The opening test races at the Milan-Cortina Olympics sliding venue will not have any spectators due to ongoing construction activities in the surrounding area. Despite the incomplete surroundings, the upcoming World Cup bobsled and skeleton meet scheduled from Friday to Sunday will serve as an Olympic test event in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Luge athletes have also been trying out the venue ahead of the February 6-22 Games.
Fabio Saldini, the Italian government commissioner overseeing the venue’s construction, mentioned that around 250 athletes will have tested the track in a month, providing a valuable stress test for the future. The old Eugenio Monti track, which shut down in 2008 due to maintenance costs, has been replaced with a new venue at a cost of 118 million euros ($136 million US).
The new track boasts enhanced environmental features, including the use of 96% glycol refrigerant, which is more eco-friendly compared to the previous ammonia-based system. The track’s cooling output will also be utilized to cool Cortina’s ice arena during the Olympics, with plans to repurpose the facility for hockey post-games and construct a new curling center cooled by the sliding center’s facilities.
The latest World Cup sliding event in Cortina was held in January 2008, making the upcoming event a significant return after almost 18 years. The new track is longer and more challenging, with 16 corners compared to the previous 11. Notably, American bobsledder Kaillie Humphries-Armbruster, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, is the only athlete in the 30-country field who competed on the old Cortina track, representing Canada in 2004, 2005, and 2008. Additionally, Cortina native Mattia Gaspari will have the opportunity to compete at home for host Italy in skeleton.
