Cortina craves bobsled revival with 2026 Olympics

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — When Cortina’s century-old bobsled track closed for financial reasons 13 years ago, the adjacent coffee bar kept on serving espressos. “It was one of the most beautiful tracks in the world — one of the most technical tracks, like St. Moritz,” the 62-year-old Costantini said inside his café, aptly named the Bob Bar — where old photos lining the walls constitute an informal track museum. “We provided a basic service for anyone that came.” While locals still come to the Bob Bar, hardly anyone comes these days for the track, which was used for the 1956 Olympics and hosted nine world championships — the last in 1999. “You’ve got to build tracks where there’s some sort of tradition,” said Gianfranco Rezzadore, the president of the Bob Club Cortina. While the track was then modified to make it safer, Roda said current rebuilding plans also include making the finish “less steep.” “Both CONI and our federation are committed to making sure that it’s kept running and used for bobsled, luge and skeleton,” Roda added.