Listen to the audio version of the article
The node of the Cortina bobsleigh track, to be built for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, should be dissolved in early September. In just over two weeks it will be understood whether the “invitations” to the main Italian construction companies – according to rumors there should be around 5 of those asked – will give a positive outcome, after the public tender, which closed on 31 July, went deserted.
A complicated tender, the one published by the Simico company, which is responsible for building the road infrastructure and some of the sports infrastructure for the 2026 Winter Games. So complicated that no local company has managed to organize a grouping of companies for an auction basis from 81 million. The theme is probably not only that of the fear of extra costs, but precisely the organization of the works which envisage a non-trivial executive project for this figure, with plants covered by greenery and also sustainable from an aesthetic point of view.
Hypotheses for the new tender
Simico, after the unsuccessful closing of the tender, is now using the targeted invitation procedure. Unofficially there is the hope that this could be of greater incentive, given that there would be the possibility of subcontracting 50% of the work. It could thus be easier to find a kind of consortium leader and a series of smaller companies that carve out their own space. At least this is the hope. If this is not the case, a quick alternative will have to be found, given that a runway will have to be ready by November 2025.
Meanwhile, there is another open front in Milan, that of the Arena in the Santa Giulia district, where the men’s hockey competitions will be held. Works and contracts are in private hands, even if the work obviously has a public value, considering that it has been included in the Olympics dossier, and will be one of the symbolic places of the event. The new ice rink will be built by Cts Eventim, an international company specializing in this type of building. The construction sites have started, the reclamation has been completed. But the shadow of extra costs, which can threaten the continuation of the works, has not yet dissipated. The cost has risen by about 50%, to reach a total of 280 million. For now, private individuals are taking care of it, but the Municipality of Milan is negotiating with the government so that there is some aid deemed indispensable.
New tranche of funds from the government
The hoped-for goal would be to include new funding for this work in the Dpcm for the Olympics expected for September, in which all the works will be refinanced for a total of 3 billion (a further approximately 400 million will therefore be added). However, it is not obvious that this is the case, and there may be a need for a new decree.