FILE PHOTO: Alpine Skiing - FIS Alpine Ski World Cup - Men's Downhill Training - Bormio, Italy - December 27, 2024 A logo of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games 2026 is seen in finish area REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/ File Photo
MILAN, Italy (Reuters) -A controversial new sliding centre for next year's Milano-Cortina Winter Games has exceeded expectations despite having been built under extremely tight deadlines, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday.
Italy decided to build a new sliding centre in Cortina for the Olympics starting on February 6 despite the IOC's vocal opposition, given the time needed and the multi-million euro cost involved. It had suggested that organisers could shift the competition to another country and an existing sliding centre.
Italy refused to move any Olympic competition outside the country, however, and opted to builda new one.
"The sliding centre has surpassed expectations," said Kristin Kloster, head of the IOC's coordination commission for the 2026 Games.
"We had issues with it. We thought the timeline was too short and the legacy benefit did not meet the expectations we wanted. The decision from the national authorities in Italy to build a sliding centre, which is their privilege, has surged past our expectations. They have delivered on time. "
Kloster was speaking at the end of the final IOC inspection visit ahead of the Games which startin 142 days.
The IOC is eager not to leave white elephants behind at host cities in order to reduce costs, make the Games more attractive to future hosts, and more sustainable.
"The sliding centre has been tested by athletes already. It is going really, really well. Iam impressed with the work," Kloster said.
Organisers had been under mounting pressure to deliver the project that had become a focal point for preparations.
Games Organising Committee President Giovanni Malago said the project had faced considerable headwinds.
"The bobsled track was a winning bet, even against many elements of prejudice," Malago said.
Organisers are putting the finishing touches to preparations, including transport plans, with fans set to move with public transportation to the venues within each Olympic cluster, either Milan or the mountains.
They will be unveiling the opening ceremony concept next month before the Olympic torch relay starts across Italy in December.
They are also racing to meet their local sponsorship target of 550 million euros, having so far raised 450 million.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, Additional reporting by Elvira Pollini in Milan, editing by Ed Osmond)
