Italian organisers of the 2026 Winter Olympics on Friday, named Lake Placid the American ski resort, as their “Plan B” in case the new bobsleigh slope at Cortina d’Ampezzo isn’t ready on time.
The upcoming Games will take place across two venues, with Milan hosting skiing events and Cortina set to stage bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton competitions. Despite earlier doubts, progress on Cortina’s slope has eased concerns, with officials confident it will be ready for the Games, now just 13 months away. This positive outlook will reassure Italian winter sports fans and the government led by Giorgia Meloni.
Initially selected after Italy was awarded the 2026 Games, Cortina’s slope faced delays, with construction only starting last February. The IOC highlighted the unprecedented challenge of completing such a venue on such a tight timeline.
Financial difficulties initially cast doubt on Cortina’s role as a venue, forcing organisers in October 2023 to explore alternatives for the bobsleigh and sliding events, a first in Winter Olympics history. That contingency now seems unnecessary, though Lake Placid, twice a Winter Olympic host (1932 and 1980), remains the designated backup.
“Lake Placid is our official plan B,” confirmed the 2026 organisers, “but only in the event that we can’t go to Cortina, a situation that has been ruled out by the reassuring information that continues to come in on the progress of the work.”
Simico, the company managing Olympic construction, stated last month that work on the slope was 67% complete and on track for provisional clearance in March. The IOC requires naming an alternative venue, and Lake Placid was chosen over closer options such as St. Moritz in Switzerland and Innsbruck in Austria.
