A decision on the sliding venue for Italy's Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will come by the end of the month, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Thursday.
Italian organisers have been urged to use an existing sliding centre outside the country to avoid any new construction.
The track hosts the bobsleigh, luge and skeleton competitions during the Games and Italy's initial plan to reconstruct a sliding centre where an old, defunct venue existed had hit obstacles from the very start of preparations.
"We know with certainty that a decision will be made soon, by the 31st of January," Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi said at a press conference in South Korea's Gangneung after an IOC Executive Board meeting.
"Our position is unequivocal. We from the very beginning felt that this venue (in Italy) was extremely complex in terms of cost, legacy and timing. We have promoted the use of an existing track," Dubi said.
Organisers in October had said they would proceed with identifying a venue abroad before the Italian government decided to consider the option of using the now-defunct sliding centre in Cesana, which would need extensive reconstruction, in order to keep the competitions in the country.
Moving Olympic sports competitions to another country is extremely rare, with Stockholm hosting the equestrian competitions of the 1956 Games in Melbourne due to quarantine restrictions in Australia.
The IOC, however, has in recent years relaxed hosting rules with cities that do not possess specific venues, encouraging the use of existing ones - even in other countries - to reduce costs and simplify operations.
Switzerland, France and Austria all have sliding tracks as does Germany.
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