Standoff between IOC and Italy over 2026 Winter Olympics sliding track to be decided within 2 weeks
GANGNEUNG, South Korea (AP) — A standoff between the IOC and 2026 Winter Games officials in Italy about using a bobsled track in another country should be resolved within two weeks, the Olympic body said Thursday.
The International Olympic Committee has repeatedly insisted that an existing ice sliding venue outside Italy must be picked to avoid extra spending on construction. Options include nearby tracks at St. Moritz, Switzerland and Igls, Austria.
Italian government and organizing officials of the Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympics have wanted to keep events at home by renovating one of two disused tracks. They are previous Olympic venues in Cortina and Cesana, which were used for the Winter Games in 1956 and 2006, respectively.
“Our position is unequivocal,” the IOC’s director of Olympic Games Christophe Dubi said Thursday at a briefing in South Korea, setting a Jan. 31 target for a decision.
“We from the very beginning felt that this venue was extremely complex in terms of cost, in terms of legacy, in terms of timing,” Dubi said of the options in Italy. “We have promoted the use of an existing track.”
The IOC is sensitive about spiraling costs and potential white elephant projects, so encourages local organizers to use venues in other countries.
The next Winter Games are being held across northern Italy from Feb. 6-22, 2026.
The IOC executive board was meeting in Gangneung, South Korea on the sidelines of the 2024 Youth Winter Games.
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