The failure in China, the political issue in Italy, rotting tracks: Bobsleigh Olympic champion Laura Nolte practices a costly and complicated sport.
Two-man bobsleigh Olympic champion Laura Nolte starts the World Cup season in La Plagne on Saturday (February 9, 2023) – late. She originally wanted to start in China in mid-November, but the women’s World Cup on the exceptionally expensive Olympic ice track in Yanqing was canceled. Too few teams could or wanted to afford the expensive journey. It was a foreseeable embarrassment and the result of rampant gigantism on the part of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Sochi 2014, Pyeongchang 2018, Beijing 2022 – three times in a row the Winter Games took place in places where a lot of competition venues had to be rebuilt. Modern ice channels were built three times in a row for tobogganing, skeleton and bobsleigh, with a lot of money and a lot of concrete.
Exceptionally expensive train
Laura Nolte only knows about the new tracks in Russia and South Korea from television because both are missing from the World Cup calendar. Things should be better in Beijing, especially since the pompous sliding center there, with construction costs of 500 million euros, was around five times more expensive than other modern railways – critics even put the total costs at 2.5 billion euros.
The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation IBSF issued a declaration of intent to host international races in Beijing for at least five consecutive years. But now the plan seems ambitious after the small number of participants for the men’s bobsleigh and the cancellation for the women.
Beijing wanted to cover some of the costs
“I think you already knew it,” Nolte said in a Sportschau interview in mid-November. “That’s why Beijing has already accommodated you and wanted to cover some of the costs. They have subsidized the hotel costs and I think the transport costs too. However, there is still a chunk of money left over.”
Beijing has the same problem as Sochi and Pyeongchang: there are no other ice channels anywhere, so the foreign bobsleigh teams would only have to fly there for a single race. That’s often not worth it, says Nolte, and speaks of one “extreme effort”.
10,000 euros freight costs per bob
Because there are two disciplines each – mono and two for women, two and four for men – two bobsleighs are needed per team, says Nolte. “Flying them over costs almost 10,000 euros per box per bob. Then there are the flight costs for the people, the hotel costs and so on – that is of course extremely expensive.” In addition to the drivers and pushers, three for women and five for men, trainers, physiotherapists and doctors would ideally travel with them.
With this in mind, some teams skip the trip to North America, even though two or three World Cups are usually held there in a row. Beyond the top of the world and without major advertising contracts, such trips are even more difficult to finance.
Ice track also problematic at Milan-Cortina 2026
Europe remains the center of bobsledding and after three trips to Asia in a row, the Winter Olympics will return to Europe in 2026, to Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy. But the ice track competitions also attract negative headlines there.
Italy had applied for a new railway in Cortina, but canceled the new building in November because no company wanted to build it for the 80 million euros advertised. Instead, they want to use an existing railway abroad.
Turin 2006 is a warning example
Nolte reacted disappointedly to the decision. “Especially in Italy, it would have been a sustainable track that could have been easily integrated into the World Cup and the European Cup in the next few years. The young Italian riders, of which there are a few in bobsleigh and skeleton and tobogganing, would have had a home track – that It’s a real shame.”
However, successful reuse of the railway is not guaranteed, as can be seen when we look at Italy’s northwest. There, in Cesana near Turin, the 2006 Olympic ice track is rotting away. It was shut down in 2011 due to high operating costs of two million euros per year. The former World Cup track in Breuil-Cervinia was also abandoned in 1991 due to high renovation costs.
Track record for Germany
Nevertheless, parts of the Italian government are now pushing for a new building in Cortina. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Transport announced that it wanted to develop a corresponding proposal.
The example of Germany shows that with political will and appropriate support it is possible to operate bobsleigh tracks. There are four World Cup ice rinks in Germany, more than in any other country and perhaps more than enough. Nevertheless, the railway in Königssee, which was badly damaged by a storm, is to be rebuilt – for around 60 million euros from tax money.
La Plagne as a role model?
France could also be a role model for Italy. There has been an ice track there in La Plagne since the 1992 Winter Games, which is now also planned for the 2030 Games, when France will most likely host again. La Plagne is also always part of the international racing calendar, like this weekend.
Laura Nolte and Co. will then be happy that, at least for a few days, it will be less about politics and costs and more about World Cup points.