The construction of the ice channel in Cortina d’Ampezzo for the 2026 Winter Olympics still causes criticism. Tobogganing world champion Max Langenhan from Thuringia was now able to test the train – and was enthusiastic.
Tobogganing world champion Max Langenhan, as one of the first athletes, has completed test drives on the still unfinished ice channel for the winter games 2026 in Cortina d’Ampezzo and is surprised by the current status of the construction work. “It is incredible what they did here in a nutshell, at a level that is second to none. I wouldn’t have thought that,” Langenhan told the Sports information service.
Visually, the ice channel is “not as an impressive thing” as the railway for Olympia 2022 in Beijing, “it is very much adjusted to nature. If I just look at the lanes of this world, I think: This will be one of the most beautiful tracks from the scenery. I think no other track can keep up.”
The ice channel in Cortina d’Ampezzo is still like a large construction site – the first test drives promise exciting competitions next year.
Long back and forth around ice channel in Cortina
After some back and forth, the construction job for the ice channel had only been in February 2024, until the end there was doubts about the timely completion for the Olympics in the coming year. However, the deadline for the first icing has now been held, since Tuesday and until Saturday Italian and international athletes have been on site for pre-homology.
“I have arrived with a rather low expectation because so much happened around it,” Langenhan said: “But if you see the energy here: they really do everything for it.”
Langenhan praises the quality of the train
The terrain is “of course a giant construction site on the left and right, so only the railway body was really created now. But it was first of all about getting a TÜV, so to speak, that no security -related topics are disregarded.” The first icing worked without any problems after the impressions of the first trips, this was unusual. Overall, from the point of view of the athletes, the system was “intended to finish”.
The 120 million euro project ensured public measures both because of the short time up to the games and the environmental impact. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) favored an edition on an existing train abroad, but the Italians insisted on the construction of its own facility.
SID
