From left, Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi, member of the IOC Kristin Kloster, President of the Italian Olympic Committee Giovanni Malago' and CEO of Milano Cortina Andrea Varnier attend a news conference of the Organising Committee of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, following the meeting of the IOC Coordination Commission, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

MILAN (AP) — A controversial new sliding center for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics has “surpassed expectations” said the International Olympic Committee — one of its fiercest opponents.

The century-old track in Cortina became a contentious issue as it had to be completely rebuilt in a tight timeframe, necessitating a Plan B option that would have required moving bobsled, luge and skeleton events all the way to Lake Placid, New York.

The local organizing committee went ahead with the project despite staunch opposition from the IOC, which wanted to use an existing track in nearby Austria or Switzerland instead.

And the gamble has paid off.

“We had issues with the sliding center,” said Kristin Kloster, head of the IOC’s coordination commission for the Milan-Cortina Games. “We thought the timeline was too short, and also we thought that the legacy benefit from the new sliding center would probably not meet the expectations that we wanted.

“Having said all that, the decision from the national authorities in Italy to create a sliding center … has surpassed our expectations: they have delivered on time, the sliding century has been tested by athletes already and I think it’s all going really, really well. So I’m impressed with the work.”

Kloster was speaking at a news conference Wednesday at the end of the sixth and final IOC inspection visit ahead of the Games, which start in 142 days.

“The bobsled track was a winning bet, even against many elements of prejudice,“ Milan-Cortina organizing committee president Giovanni Malagò said.

Looming deadlines

Another project that caused concern was the ice hockey arena, which is set to welcome back NHL players to the Olympics.

While the timeframe for that too is tight, work has been carried out rapidly and the main body of the facility now rises 35 meters (115 feet) above street level, serving as a majestic sight to those arriving into the southeastern periphery of Milan.

“There are currently some works that need to be finished and which we know will be finished very close to the Games. But this is a reality that we already had many months ago.” Milan-Cortina CEO Andrea Varnier said.

“We know that there are very tight deadlines, we are monitoring it and we are rightly nervous because the timings are very important. For now they are all in the plan we imagined.”

Security issues

Organizers of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics were briefed this week by Italian authorities on security for the far-flung Games and on Wednesday expressed confidence in the plans against the backdrop of rising geopolitical tensions with the war in Ukraine and Gaza.

Christophe Dubi, the Olympic Games executive director, said organizers had “full trust in the work that is being done.”

"It’s been volatile for quite a while; we saw that starting in Paris," during the 2024 Summer Games, Dubi said. “The number one task for the hosts is to ensure the safety and security of participants always, no matter where, no matter when. Always you have a certain level of risk that you need to address."

The Milan-Cortina games present a particular challenge, spanning multiple regions, involving not only the Rome government but also six prefects in the Lombardy and Veneto regions as well as the autonomous provinces of South Tyrol and Trentino.

Security will be in place when the torch begins its journey across Italy on Dec. 6, organizers said. The opening ceremony will be held Feb. 6 at San Siro Stadium in Milan, while the closing ceremony will be on Feb. 22 at the Roman-era Arena amphitheater in the city of Verona, in the neighboring Veneto region.

Malagò said he hoped that with 142 days remaining until the opening ceremony the Games “will be a moment to disconnect” from rising global tensions.

“Surely sport can help, or try to lend a hand, because it seems to me that the traditional systems so far have unfortunately not yielded great results,” he said.

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