"Eugenio Monti" Sliding Centre | Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026
Introduction
In the beautiful landscape of the Dolomite Mountains in the Cortina d'Ampezzo area, the refurbishment of the “Eugenio Monti” sliding centre, venue of the official bobsleigh, luge and skeleton competitions of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, has been completed.
The Project
The facility is located within the historic area of the former "Eugenio Monti" track.
The new track is approximately 1,730 meters long, features 16 curves, reaches a maximum altitude of 1321 m and a minimum of 1213 m, and is distinguished by its innovative, environmentally friendly glycol-based refrigeration system. It is considered among the fastest and most technically demanding tracks in the world, with speeds exceeding 130 km/h and accelerations of up to 5 g.
LMSteel Consulting was commissioned to carry out the detail design for manutacturing of the steel structures forming the track body, the roofing systems, and the Start and Finish buildings.
The entire process was developed in a BIM environment using Tekla Structures and the Trimble Connect data-sharing platform.
Key Technical Aspects
The track features an innovative refrigeration system using steel piping to distribute glycol and cool the ice surface on which athletes compete. The steel structures (supports, piping, connections, roofing) were engineered considering construction-process optimization to reduce costs and delivery times, the interfaces with concrete foundations, the complex curved surfaces, and the geometric constraints of the course.
BIM modelling and design for manufacturing:
The 3D BIM model developed by LMSTEEL with Tekla Structures allows all steelwork components (connection plates, welds, bolts, base plates, supports) to be fully defined for workshop fabrication.
With models reaching LOD 500 and outputs compatible with CNC machinery and DSTV files, raw material usage and on-site scheduling were optimized.
This high level of detail is a distinguishing feature of highly complex projects and has delivered several advantages:
- increased construction accuracy and quality control thanks to BIM and design for manufacturing
- optimized timelines—crucial for an Olympic‑deadline project involving multiple construction phases and teams to coordinate
- seamless integration between structure, systems and architectural finishes in a sensitive alpine environment
- enhanced structural reliability, in line with the high performance and safety standards required for Olympic competition
- improved management of steel fabrication, site assembly and documentation processes.
Conclusions
The Cortina Sliding Centre project represented an ambitious challenge, developed through nearly 18,000 engineering hours.
In this context, the steel structures played a key role—not only as the primary load‑bearing system, but also as a crucial interface between architecture, technical systems and construction processes.
- PLACE
-
Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy)
- YEAR
-
2024-2025
- StatE
- Completed
- ServiCES
- Structural Design optimization and global assistance to General Contractor
- Steel Detail Design Tracks and Buildings
- BIM Modelling - Design for Manufacturing
workshop drawings and as-built - final CLIENT
- SIMICO - Società Infrastrutture Milano Cortina 2020-2026 spa
- General Contractor
- Impresa Pizzarotti E C. Spa
- STEEEL MANUFACTURER
- LMV spa
- DESIGN TEAM LEADER
- ITS srl
- DETAIL DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING
- LMSteel Consulting sagl
- WEIGHT [ton]
- 2000
Gallery for the "Cortina Sliding Centre"
Eugenio Monti, the Olympic bobsleigh Champion
Eugenio Monti (Dobbiaco, January 23, 1928 – Belluno, December 1, 2003) was an Italian bobsledder.
He is one of the most decorated athletes in the history of the sport, with 9 World Championship gold medals, including 7 in the two‑man bobsleigh (both records lasting until 2021), and 6 Olympic medals.
He was nicknamed “The Flying Redhead” by the renowned sports journalist Gianni Brera, due to his reddish hair and the incredible speed and courage he displayed on the track—first as an alpine skier and later in bobsleigh—becoming a legend both for his achievements and his exceptional sportsmanship, including the famous Medal of Honour awarded for his fair-play gesture at the 1964 Innsbruck Olympic Games.
Monti began his career as a talented alpine skier in Cortina d’Ampezzo, but serious knee injuries forced him to switch sports. He found his true calling in bobsleigh, becoming the greatest Italian bobsledder of all time and collecting numerous Olympic and World Championship medals.
His gesture of lending a bolt to the British team during the 1964 Innsbruck Olympics, allowing them to compete and win, earned him the Pierre de Coubertin Medal, the highest recognition for true Olympic sportsmanship.