Italian job: Controversial track slides into action

Completed in record time, Olympic sliding center gets put through its paces

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy — After many setbacks, controversies and only 13 months of construction, a feat hailed as "an Italian miracle", the sliding track for the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympic Games was inaugurated on Tuesday.

Italy's Mattia Gaspari may not be among the gold medalists in the Dolomites next year, but the 31-year-old skeleton specialist has already made history.

Gaspari was the first to race down the much-discussed Cortina track as part of its pre-homologation process to ensure its safety for competitors.