No company is willing to take on construction work on the Milan Cortina 2026 sliding venue ©SIMICO

The venue intended to host sliding sports at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games is still yet to have a company willing to carry out critical construction work.

The Organising Committee had launched a search for tenders to develop the Cortina Sliding Centre, which is due to stage bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton.

Milan Cortina 2026 has confirmed that "no offers have been received" following the end of the first part of the tender procedure which began on June 5.

Costs for the facility have skyrocketed with the original expected figure of €41.7 million (£36.5 million/$45.3 million) increasing to €85 million (£72.9 million/$92.5 million).

A deadline of November 2025 has been set by Società Infrastrutture Milano Cortina 2026 (SIMICO), the Games' body responsible for overseeing venue readiness, for the completion of the venue.

Expected costs for the Cortina Sliding Centre have more than doubled, contributing to a lack of tenders ©SIMICO
Expected costs for the Cortina Sliding Centre have more than doubled, contributing to a lack of tenders ©SIMICO

SIMICO had first put a price of around €80 million (£68 million/$87 million) for the contract but may have to increase the reward due to the worrying lack of interest.

An "acceleration bonus" has been offered to the company that takes on the project which has a maximum of 28 months allowed for construction. 

Initial preparations for the venue were completed earlier this year, including demolition-controlled work near the track to clear the way for new installations.

There are concerns in Italy that any delays could scupper those plans and lead sliding sports to move to Innsbruck in Austria or St Moritz in Switzerland which have been recommended as alternative venues by the International Olympic Committee Evaluation Commission.

The Cortina Sliding Centre is due to be on the same site as the Eugenio Monti track which hosted competition at the 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics.

The Cortina Sliding Centre is due to be built on the site of the Eugenio Monti track which staged events at the 1956 Olympic Games ©SIMICO
The Cortina Sliding Centre is due to be built on the site of the Eugenio Monti track which staged events at the 1956 Olympic Games ©SIMICO

That venue closed down in 2008 and was left in disrepair before being dismantled to make way for the new Centre.

Protestors have made their feelings known about the millions required to develop the new facility.

Hundreds gathered at the Piazza Angelo Dibona saying that money should go towards renovations for Cortina d'Ampezzo's cycle paths, public buildings, cinema, and swimming pool instead.

Plans for the new facility will see parts of the track from the 1956 Games preserved while an upgraded refrigeration system and new arrivals building are due to be installed.