On a deadly mission

Now the tear duct is pressed properly. Complaining, actually across borders, is on the agenda because the Olympic Games and Paralympics in Milan and Cortina are not getting a track for bobsleigh, skeleton and tobogganing.

On the one hand, the prices for the required new building exploded and that's probably why there weren't even building contractors. It is permissible to ask what those responsible for the Olympics have done since the 2019 event was awarded the contract in order to act in a timely and perhaps somewhat cost-effective manner. Only now, almost in 2024, will the dilemma become obvious. In the meantime, the expansion of the speed skating rink in Baselga di Pinè was secretly buried in January of this year. The Milan trade fair is stepping in, even though the Junior World Championships were already held in Trento in 2019.

The outdated railway in Cortina has now been demolished. © Hermann Sobe

So where should the runner athletes go? Innsbruck would be ready, but would have to invest heavily (with the help of Italian money?). The ice mighty people from Germany, whose opinions carry a lot of weight in various committees, would prefer the Tyrol option because their own track in Königssee, which was destroyed by a landslide, will only be finished in a few years. The Germans don't have the option of St. Moritz because the Swiss don't have their natural track open as long as their neighbors in Austria, where you could train earlier and more often. Germany's ice cream masters think egoistically. Even the far away town of Oberhof got in touch. However, this is a strange idea, because in Thuringia you can only toboggan.

St. Moritz can at least score points with a very special Italian variant and can even connect emotionally to the games. The last natural railway in the world - and that alone speaks for the Swiss - is built every year with South Tyrolean know-how by 14 workers from Naturns. France also suddenly throws a few ice cubes into the game with the 1992 Olympic track in La Plagne. The only ones who can really complain and have every right to do so are the bobsledders and tobogganers from Italy, who will probably never get their own track again and will also have to forego their home advantage in 2026. That is the real tragedy.

An old idea comes to life again But perhaps this is an almost conciliatory sign in times when high fences and border controls are becoming increasingly fashionable again. “Senza Confini”. "Without Borders". I still fondly remember the application by Carinthia, Friuli and Slovenia to host the Olympic Games in 2006. I also attached a botton to my sweater back then. I thought that was great. Three countries, one idea, one Europe. And all under the sign of the Olympic rings. It didn't work out in the 1999 election. Turin got the games thanks to the considerable influence of Gianni Agnelli at the time. Incidentally, with a new bobsleigh and toboggan run that no longer exists. It was definitely too early for “Senza Confini” back then. The Olympic Charter did not yet provide for games in the border area.

But the very fact that the Winter Games will definitely be held in two countries in 2026 out of necessity could give fresh impetus to a new attempt at a new, exciting application across borders. The old idea is alive. In Klagenfurt, Carinthia's Governor Peter Kaiser and Matjaz Han, the responsible Slovenian Minister for Economy, Tourism and Sport, recently emphasized that they wanted to submit a corresponding proposal to the respective national associations. The target date would be 2034 at the earliest. Many sports facilities would already exist in Slovenia and Austria and could be used immediately, although one has to be careful on this topic after the recent experience with Milan/Cortina. Sustainability now seems to be a much-used cover for failures. At least you can attest to both interested parties that winter sports are at home with them.

Cross-border has long been current The time would therefore be ripe for “Senza Confini”, because it is actually almost a joke that cross-border Olympic Games have so far been a taboo topic (The Equestrian Games in Stockholm for the Games in Melbourne in 1956 were an exception because of the quarantine for the horses) . Handball players and volleyball players have long been holding their tournaments in different countries. And the International Football Association (FIFA) is even organizing a World Cup in six countries on three continents in 2030. However, there is also an icy problem for Carinthia and Slovenia. There is actually no bobsleigh and toboggan run. And that's where Italy might come into play again. With a train in Cortina d'Ampezzo. If we started now, perhaps with the first curve, then in eight years we could have completed the last roundabout and attached ourselves to the possible Slovenian-Austrian application. Until then, we'll keep putting on the DVD with the James Bond film: "On a Deadly Mission". Roger Moore (or his stuntman) races down the bobsleigh track in Cortina on skis in a wild chase. They are almost painful memories.

About the author: Sigi Heinrich The multi-award-winning sports journalist (including the German Television Prize), book author and Eurosport commentator from the very beginning (since 1989) dedicates his column “Sigi's Spitzes” to the entire diversity of sport and also enjoys poaching in foreign regions. Sometimes with a smile and a wink, sometimes seriously or deliberately provocative. There should be something for everyone.

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On a deadly mission

Due to the failure to start building a new bobsleigh and toboggan run in Cortina on time, the 2026 Winter Olympics will be held in two countries for the first time. Our columnist Sigi Heinrich is following with interest how the “Senza Confini” idea was brought back to life at the end of the 90s.

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