What emotions do you feel looking back, 100 days after the end of the Olympic Winter Games? After 100 days, what prevails above all is pride and gratitude. Pride because Italy demonstrated its ability to deliver a project that many considered impossible within the given timeframe; gratitude towards the people, institutions, companies and communities that worked alongside us every day with competence, determination and passion. When I look at the Sliding Centre today, I do not see merely a sports facility. I see the symbol of a collective challenge that this country was able to win.
What were the most beautiful moments of this journey? And the most challenging? The most beautiful moments were those in which we saw what had been, for many, nothing more than a project on paper transform into reality. The first icing of the track, the first runs by the athletes, the pre-homologation and then the Olympic races themselves – these were deeply moving milestones, and I confess, genuinely emotional ones. I was appointed Commissioner and CEO only in February 2024. The most difficult moments were those at the very beginning, when we had to make up time and meet extremely demanding deadlines. In those moments it was essential to maintain clarity and keep the focus on the objective.
Did you ever think it might go wrong? Anyone with public responsibilities must always consider every possible risk. It would be irresponsible to claim otherwise. But I never lost my conviction that we would succeed. I always believed that what made the difference was the method, the team and the ability to make decisions quickly. We chose to focus on the problems to be solved, not on the reasons why something might not be possible.
What is your personal connection to the world of sliding sports and luge in particular? I did not come from the world of sliding sports, but over these years I have had the opportunity to get to know it closely and to appreciate its extraordinary technical and human complexity. I discovered disciplines that require courage, precision and absolute dedication. I met the FIL leadership for the first time during the Paris 2024 Games, and from that moment a daily dialogue began. I also had the privilege of listening to the guidance of athletes and technical experts – including the legendary Armin Zöggeler – who helped me understand how important it was to give Italy a home for bobsleigh, skeleton and luge. The Italian athletes in particular, who had previously had no track of their own, repaid us with medals and outstanding results, and personally I received a gratitude and affection that I cannot adequately describe. The same was true with the bobsleigh and skeleton federation. It was truly a collective effort of both human and professional and technical support.
Can you comment on the reports that emerged after the Olympics about serious damage to the track? After an event of the scale of the Olympics, it is normal for maintenance and restoration work to emerge. Certain issues were identified, but it is important to distinguish between structural damage and ordinary or extraordinary repair work. The track was never considered compromised in its sporting functionality. The inspections and interventions planned are designed precisely to ensure that the facility continues to operate at the highest international standards. We have already returned to the track with the construction company and our technical team and are proceeding at full speed with the restoration of every outstanding need.
Speaking of legacy, what is the situation of the Cortina track? Where do the funds come from and what is planned? Legacy was one of the central elements of the project from the very beginning. The objective was not to build a track for a few weeks of Olympic competition, but to create an international sports centre intended to live on over the long term, involving above all the federations and the Municipality of Cortina d'Ampezzo, which will take over the management of the facility. The hope is that activities will include competitive racing, national team training, international events, youth development and sports promotion and tourism initiatives. Resources will come from a combination of public funds, sporting activities, events and collaborations with national and international federations. The challenge now is to transform Olympic success into a permanent presence on the world calendar of bobsleigh, skeleton and luge.
Tell us with certainty that races will still be held on this 2026 track in 2056, or at least at the next Winter Olympics in Italy. What I can say with certainty is that the track was designed and built to have a very long life and to be an international point of reference. As early as next year it will host World Cup races; the FIL has optioned it through to 2030; in 2028 it will host the Youth Games. The true legacy will not be the infrastructure alone, but the sporting community that will be built around it. If investment in competition, training and use of the facility continues, I have no doubt that in 2056 people will still speak of the Cortina track as a far-sighted decision. And should Italy one day host the Winter Games again, it would be wonderful to imagine this track playing a leading role once more. The homologation achieved in record time and the determination to make it an international benchmark are pointing precisely in that direction.
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Fabio Massimo Saldini (born 1964 in Manerbio, BS, grew up in Milan) is an Italian architect, government commissioner (Commissario Straordinario) and CEO of Società Infrastrutture Milano Cortina 2026 (SIMICO). He is the driving force behind the planning, tendering and implementation of the construction projects for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
