Sliding sports at 2026 Olympics won’t take place in Italy after building funds cut

Oct 16, 2023, 11:50 AM | Updated: 11:50 am

Kaillie Humphries and Kaysha Love of Team United States slide during the 2-women Bobsleigh heats on day 14 of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at National Sliding Centre on February 18, 2022 in Yanqing, China. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP) — Bobsled, skeleton and luge events will not be held in Italy during the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics because the local government no longer wants to help fund it.

Organizing committee officials say the three sports will need to be held outside Italy. That’s likely to be at a sliding track in either Austria or Switzerland. The historic Eugenio Monti track in Cortina d’Ampezzo was built 100 years ago, used for the 1956 Olympics, and shut down 15 years ago.

It was planned to be rebuilt but expected costs spiraled from the original $53 million estimate.

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