Officials in Lake Placid, New York, submitted a proposal to carry the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Games bobsled, luge and skeleton occasions as Olympic organizers search an lively observe exterior of Italy.

It was introduced in October {that a} venue exterior of Italy can be wanted earlier plans to rebuild a observe in Cortina d’Ampezzo had been scrapped. Italy doesn’t have an elite-level sliding observe in use.

Dwight Bell of the International Luge Federation stated Saturday that six nations provided to host the occasions and that it’s hoped {that a} resolution is made by the tip of January. The different nations are Austria, China, France, Germany and Switzerland.

The U.S. has two elite-level sliding tracks in Lake Placid, which held the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics, and Park City, Utah, which held sliding sports activities on the 2002 Winter Games. Park City is targeted on getting ready for the 2034 Games, so Lake Placid provided for 2026.

U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland stated that the New York Olympic Regional Development Authority submitted a proposal this week.

“At this stage, our role is simply to help them present a proposal and to endorse that proposal and ensure that we have the broad support required from the municipalities as well as from the athlete and NGB (national governing body) community,” Hirshland stated Thursday.

The closest current sliding tracks on the World Cup circuit to the 2026 Olympic host are in Igls, Austria (58 miles northwest of Cortina because the crow flies) and St. Moritz, Switzerland (110 miles west of Cortina).

Italian authorities officers, who’re separate from the Olympic organizing committee, just lately stated that the Cortina observe may nonetheless be rebuilt or the 2006 Torino Olympic observe, which has been inactive for 12 years, may very well be restored, in line with reviews.

The organizing committee declined remark final week concerning the Torino venue and stated that they’re “working to find the best solution for the sliding center.”

Then on Tuesday, the IOC stated it expects the venue to be exterior of Italy and a call “in the near future.” It can be the primary Winter Games to be held in a number of nations.