Milan 2026: Why Winter Olympics sliding events could be held in United States
2025-02-06
Category: sports

In one year's time Italy will be welcoming the world to the Winter Olympics, but a sizeable number of athletes could instead be competing for medals more than 4,000 miles away in the United States.The sliding centre in Cortina - which will stage bobsleigh, skeleton and luge - is facing a race against time to be ready.The venue is being completely rebuilt on a century-old track at a cost of more than Â£72m, sanctioned by the Italian government.The official deadline is March for when the new track must have been iced, tested and certified. Lake Placid in New York state is the confirmed alternative, despite world class tracks including Igls in Austria and St Moritz in Switzerland being considerably nearer.Andrea Varnier, chief executive of Milan-Cortina 2026, told BBC Sport: "We checked all available venues and the only one that was ready without the need for investment and able to host us at the last minute was Lake Placid."That is the reason why it's the plan B, but we really intend to stay in Cortina as much as possible."Varnier admitted it would be a "mutilated Games" if the sliding events could not be held in Italy."That's what we feel," he said. "It's good for the athletes, good for the spectators to have the atmosphere [in Cortina]."But he remained hopeful, adding: "We are progressing and we are monitoring together with the International Olympic Committee."
What is the new Winter Olympic sport of skimo?
Ski mountaineering - or skimo as it tends to be called - is the only new sport making its Winter Olympic debut in 2026.But what is it and how will it work at a winter Games?Ski mountaineering combines skiing uphill and downhill as well as using elite mountaineering skills to hike up icy ascents.There are different lengths of races, from short sprints to those which can last two hours and can involve more than 1,500m of climbing.At the 2026 Games, it will be the short format on show with men's and women's sprint races. A total of 18 men and 18 women will compete in the individual races and a mixed relay.The sprint races typically last just three minutes for men and four minutes for women and will consist of an uphill ski section, a booting â or on-foot hiking - section, and a descent around race gates. The racers can climb up to 250 vertical feet.There will be a time trial to establish the seeding and racers will compete against each other in knockout rounds to keep advancing until the final race, which will determine the medals.Skimo athletes have special 'skins' which they put on the bottom of their skis to stop them sliding down while they are ascending. Their skis are similar to cross-country skis in that they are lighter than downhill skis and have movable bindings to allow for proper joint movement.
Iain Innes is aiming to qualify for the Olympics for Team GB.He is a former alpine skier who made the switch to skimo after trying it and falling in love with the lung-busting sport."It's the combination of suffering on the climbs, sending it downhill as fast as possible, and then all the technical aspects mixed in there as well," Innes told BBC Sport.The 26-year-old has been living in a van in the Alps while honing his skills and competing in World Cup races.He said: "I've made a lot of sacrifices. But it's all worth it. I'm gonna do everything I can to get to 2026."
Could 2026 be Team GB's most successful Winter Olympics?
Great Britain is not blessed with Winter Olympic success, having won just 34 medals in the previous 24 Games that have been held.The 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics were the most successful for Team GB, who won five medals at each, but in Beijing three years ago only the women and men's curling teams returned home with medals.However, there is optimism Milan-Cortina could prove to be GB's most successful Winter Olympics yet, so where could the history-making medal haul come from?Snowboarder Mia Brookes â Ranked number one in the world in big air and also has World Cup podiums in slopestyle. She became the youngest ever world champion when she won the slopestyle title in 2023. Has X Games medals of every colour, including a slopestyle gold won in 2024.Snowboarder Charlotte Bankes â Overall snowboard cross World Cup champion in 2023 and has won World Cup races this season and is the top-ranked female racer.Freestyle skier Zoe Atkin - The younger sister of Izzy, who in 2018 became the first British skier to win an Olympic medal, Atkin is no stranger to the podium. She has numerous halfpipe medals from World Cups, World Championships and the X Games, including gold in 2023.Freestyle skier Kirsty Muir - Described in the infancy of her career as a "once-in-a-generation talent", Muir was the youngest member of Team GB at the Beijing Olympics at the age of 17, and finished fifth in big air. She has been on the World Cup and X Games podiums, but a serious knee injury in December 2023 meant a year out from the sport. She returned to competition last weekend and made the freeski slopestyle final in Aspen, Colorado.Skeleton - After a dismal Beijing, GB have bounced back with a world champion in Matt Weston and Marcus Wyatt claiming overall World Cup silver. The women's team have also been on the World Cup podium, and with the mixed relay making its debut in Milan, that presents Team GB with another medal opportunity.Bobsleigh - Brad Hall is fast becoming one of the world's top bobsleigh pilots and has two-man and four-man World Cup medals to show for it, including five golds and a historic World Championship silver.Curling - Eve Muirhead retired after winning Team GB's only gold medal in 2022, but Bruce Mouat's rink, ranked number one in the world, are likely to be in Milan as he aims to upgrade from the silver he won in Beijing to gold this time.Figure skating - Great Britain have not won a figure skating medal at the Winter Olympics since Torvill and Dean's bronze at Lillehammer in 1994, but with Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson that could finally change in 2026. The ice dance duo have three European Championship medals to their name and have been knocking on the door of a World Championship podium.