Cortina Sliding Center
The construction of the Cortina Sliding Centre, a bobsleigh, skeleton and luge track for the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, was one of the most challenging construction projects in the European sports infrastructure landscape.
In just over a year, a project was completed that combines advanced design, innovative plant engineering solutions and technical-operational coordination involving hundreds of professionals.
The project was completed in just 13 months, five months less than the last track built in the world. Impresa Pizzarotti, the project manager, coordinated all phases, from executive design to construction and the integration of technological systems.
Approval by the international federations of the respective disciplines was granted on 18 November 2025, confirming the track’s full functionality.
Technology
Innovation and
care for the Environment
The Cortina Sliding Centre is the first competition track in the world to be cooled with glycol, a mixture of water and ethylene glycol that replaces ammonia, normally used in facilities of this type.
This system has made it possible to reduce the amount of ammonia in circulation by 96% and to distribute the cold along the entire track, ensuring precise temperature control in every section of the track.
Energy efficiency has been enhanced by the adoption of advanced insulation systems, which limit heat loss both in the coolant distribution pipes and in the track body. Full coverage with insulating panels and the use of low-absorption sunshades further contribute to optimising consumption.
The refrigeration plant is equipped with a heat recovery system, used to heat service buildings and also to power the ice rink in Cortina. The plant will also be integrated with photovoltaic panels in order to optimize energy consumption and recover heat.
Each section of the rink is managed by an autonomous “cold” control and management system, which allows consumption to be modulated according to different conditions of sunlight and climate exposure, optimizing performance and reducing waste.
The landscape integration has been designed to minimize visual impact: 7.4% of the route runs through artificial tunnels, making it invisible, while 50.5% is semi-underground, with green coverings that allow the structure to blend into the natural landscape. The viaduct sections (9.5%) and buildings remain visible, characterized by gabled roofs inspired by local architecture, which make the Sliding Center recognizable and iconic while respecting the Dolomite context.
PEOPLE
All this was made possible by the people involved: an average of 135 workers on site, representing 21 different nationalities, over 35 subcontractors, and more than 115 suppliers.
Workers, technicians, engineers, concrete craftsmen, wood professionals, plant specialists, teams dedicated to refrigeration, quality control, tunnels, and safety systems, 22 Pizzarotti staff members, including both workers and employees, with a significant female presence both in the back office and on site, employed in both operational and managerial roles.
The construction site was not just a place of work, it was a community, a group of people who put their heart, professionalism, and pride into what they were building. And who demonstrated, through their actions, that Italian excellence is capable of facing and overcoming global challenges.
Collaboration between the
Public and Private sectors
During the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Socol base camp, built to house workers during the 18 months of construction, will be made available to institutions, taking on a new role in the service of the community.
In particular, it will be used by the National Fire Brigade as accommodation for operational personnel and emergency vehicles and by the Milano Cortina Foundation as a depot for buses used to transport personnel between the various locations in the valley.
A concrete example of public-private collaboration, in which skills, resources, and visions are integrated to identify efficient solutions, optimize time, and generate shared value for the territory.
The Olympic and Paralympic Games are not only a major sporting event, but also an opportunity to experiment with a new collaborative working method. In this context, dialogue between the public and private sectors is not an option but a necessary condition for tackling the complexity of projects of this magnitude: institutions define the strategic vision and protect the collective interest, while companies provide technical expertise, organizational skills, and innovation, transforming the vision into concrete results.
COMMITMENT TO THE
TERRITORY
The Cortina Sliding Center was not designed solely for the Olympics; it is a project conceived for the future.
The facility was designed as a sports park that can be used all year round and host activities, events, and sporting initiatives. The structure combines memory and innovation, preserving the memory of the historic “Eugenio Monti” while offering new opportunities to the local area.
KEY TECHNICAL DATA
