Latest news with #Ferriani
Local Italy
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Local Italy
Italy given green light for Winter Olympics bobsleigh track
After numerous setbacks, controversies and only 13 months of construction, a feat hailed by politicians as "an Italian miracle," the sliding track for the Milan-Cortina Games now appears to be fit for purpose. "We have successfully completed the pre-approval test runs as part of the homologation procedure," said bobsleigh federation chief Ivo Ferriani of Italy in a joint statement with Simico, the Olympic delivery company. "Minor adjustments still need to be made and the main focus must remain on completing the construction work, but the feedback we have received from our technical experts, athletes and their coaches has been very positive," Ferriani added. The official stamp of approval comes three days after the Cortina d'Ampezzo track's inauguration. Italy's Mattia Gaspari may not be among the gold medallists in the Dolomites from February 6 to 22 next year, but the 31-year-old skeleton specialist made history on Tuesday as the first to race down the much-discussed track. Since Monday 60 athletes representing the disciplines of bobsleigh, luge and skeleton have put the slope through its paces with test runs. Work to finish facilities for athletes at the Eugenio Monti slope will now resume. "The work is scheduled to be completed on November 5, 2025," Simico stated. When construction began in February 2024, late for a project of this scale and complexity, many doubted that it could be completed. Not Matteo Salvini, the second-in-command and Minister of Transport in Giorgia Meloni's hard-right government. Salvini relaunched the project at the end of 2023, when organisers wanted to relocate the 12 bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton events to neighbouring Austria or Switzerland, because of the lack of a functioning track in Italy. "I want to thank the workers who came from all over the world to Cortina to create this miracle that represents Italy so well," the Italian deputy premier said this week. In January, Italian 2026 Winter Olympic organisers had named American ski resort Lake Placid as their "Plan B" should Cortina d'Ampezzo not be ready in time. Friday's announcement suggests 'Plan A' is firmly on course for use in 11 months time.
CBC
29-03-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Bobsleigh officials rave about Cortina track, a good sign for 2026 Olympic events being held there
Italy appears to be one big step closer to having the sliding events at next year's Milan-Cortina Olympics on its own track after all. The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation said Friday that it has declared this week's testing period at the Cortina d'Ampezzo track "successful" and that it looks forward to the 2026 Olympics being held at the rebuilt track. That's not the official word — that will likely come from the International Olympic Committee — but it is the strongest suggestion yet that Cortina's ambitious construction project will bring the Olympic bobsleigh, skeleton and luge races there and not require the Plan B site of Lake Placid, New York. About 60 sliders from 12 countries, half of them from Italy, tested the track this week in what is called pre-homologation. The reports from those sliders, evidently, were positive. "Minor adaptions still need to be done and the main focus must remain on the finalization of the construction works," IBSF president Ivo Ferriani said in a news release distributed Friday. "The feedback we received from our technical experts and the coaches and athletes on site this week, has been very positive. We are thrilled about this outcome and the entire bobsleigh and skeleton community cannot wait to come back here for our World Cup in November, further training — and then of course the pinnacle of all competition, the Olympic Games." Work is scheduled to continue at the site until Nov. 5, at which time the facility — which still needs a roof and event-support buildings — will be handed over to Milan-Cortina organizers. Simico, the Italian government agency in charge of the 118 million euro project, reported positive results for the test runs. But it will be officials from the IBSF, International Luge Federation and the IOC who determine whether to bestow preliminary certification for the track. Ferriani's words were an indicator that the IBSF is on board. Preliminary approval would be a big step in avoiding a backup Plan B option that the IOC had demanded and which would require moving the three sliding sports all the way to Lake Placid if the track in Italy wasn't finished in time. Lake Placid officials were hopeful that, if the sliding events were going to be awarded to the U.S., the official word would come by the end of March. Luge athletes are scheduled to have an international training period at the new track from Oct. 27 through Nov. 2, then return for a test event there in the final week of November. The bobsled and skeleton tours will hold their international training period from Nov. 7-16, followed by the season-opening World Cup races there from Nov. 17-23. The 1.749-kilometre Cortina track features 16 curves with an estimated top speed of 145 kph and with run times slated for 55-60 seconds.
Associated Press
28-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Bobsled officials rave about Cortina track, a good sign for 2026 Olympics being held there
Italy appears to be one big step closer to having the sliding events at next year's Milan-Cortina Olympics on its own track after all. The International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation said Friday that it has declared this week's testing period at the Cortina d'Ampezzo track 'successful' and that it looks forward to the 2026 Olympics being held at the rebuilt track. That's not the official word — that will likely come from the International Olympic Committee — but it is the strongest suggestion yet that Cortina's ambitious construction project will bring the Olympic bobsled, skeleton and luge races there and not require the Plan B site of Lake Placid, New York. About 60 sliders from 12 countries, half of thm from Italy, tested the track this week in what is called pre-homologation. The reports from those sliders, evidently, were positive. 'Minor adaptions still need to be done and the main focus must remain on the finalization of the construction works,' IBSF president Ivo Ferriani said in a news release distributed Friday. 'The feedback we received from our technical experts and the coaches and athletes on site this week, has been very positive. We are thrilled about this outcome and the entire bobsleigh and skeleton community cannot wait to come back here for our World Cup in November, further training — and then of course the pinnacle of all competition, the Olympic Games.' Work is scheduled to continue at the site until Nov. 5, at which time the facility — which still needs a roof and event-support buildings — will be handed over to Milan-Cortina organizers. Simico, the Italian government agency in charge of the 118 million euro ($128 million) project, reported positive results for the test runs. But it will be officials from the IBSF, International Luge Federation and the IOC who determine whether to bestow preliminary certification for the track. Ferriani's words were an indicator that the IBSF is on board. Preliminary approval would be a big step in avoiding a backup Plan B option that the IOC had demanded and which would require moving the three sliding sports all the way to Lake Placid if the track in Italy wasn't finished in time. Lake Placid officials were hopeful that, if the sliding events were going to be awarded to the U.S., the official word would come by the end of March. Luge athletes are scheduled to have an international training period at the new track from Oct. 27 through Nov. 2, then return for a test event there in the final week of November. The bobsled and skeleton tours will hold their international training period from Nov. 7-16, followed by the season-opening World Cup races there from Nov. 17-23. The 1.749-kilometer (1.09-mile) Cortina track features 16 curves with an estimated top speed of 145 kph (90 mph) and with run times slated for 55-60 seconds. ___
