Inside race against time to replace abandoned iconic track that featured in James Bond film for Winter Olympics 2026

TEAM GB are acceptable to nonstop bobsleighers and skeleton sliders to the United States if Italian Winter Games bosses neglect with their ambitious £72million rebuild.

The 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics statesman successful a twelvemonth connected Thursday with the opening ceremonial taking spot astatine the iconic San Siro.

Organisers are rebuilding a century-old way successful Cortina - the Eugenio Monti Olympic Track - for the bobsled, luge and skeleton events.

Named aft six-time Winter Olympic medallist Eugenio Monti, the venue famously featured successful the 1981 James Bond film, For Your Eyes Only starring Roger Moore.

But determination are concerns it volition not beryllium finished successful clip wrong the adjacent 12 months.

And Lake Placid successful New York State – which is 6,000 miles distant from the Italian Alps – would incredibly big the contention arsenic a back-up plan.

Eve Muirhead, the cook de ngo for the adjacent Games, said: “We’re each rather calm due to the fact that I conjecture us, arsenic a nation, cannot bash thing astir it.

“Every clip we person gone retired there, determination has decidedly been advancement made for the sliding centre. They’re moving hard to marque it work.

“If it doesn’t spell to program and it turns retired it’s not going to beryllium capable to instrumentality spot there, past that’s erstwhile we alteration our program – and we instrumentality immoderate we person successful beforehand of us.

“The sliding squad – bobsleigh and skeleton – are conscionable going to person to spell with immoderate way is enactment successful beforehand of them.

JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS

“The organising committee are doing monthly checks connected the sliding and each is up to velocity and up to date.

“There’s inactive immoderate enactment to bash connected it but they are precise affirmative astir the adjacent cheque successful mid-February. And the homologation successful March.

“So we’ve conscionable got to enactment with what we person successful beforehand of us.”

Muirhead, 34, saved Team GB’s blushes successful Beijing 2022 erstwhile she skippered the British women to Olympic golden – she yet won the rubric astatine her 4th effort successful 12 years.

Since status from the rinks, the Scotswoman has been promoted to the prestigious apical occupation – lone the 2nd pistillate to pb a British Olympic squad successful 129 years.

A squad of astir 50 volition beryllium selected adjacent twelvemonth and they volition beryllium looking to lucifer the 5 medals won successful Sochi successful 2014 and PyeongChang 4 years later.

Brits Matt Weston and Marcus Wyatt — presently archetypal and 2nd successful the World Cup standings — volition beryllium bidding to triumph golden successful the men’s skeleton, wherever it is held.

Mia Brookes, 18, is 1 to ticker successful snowboard events portion Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson are hoping to triumph a figure skating medal similar erstwhile Olympic champions Torvill and Dean did connected 2 occasions.

Muirhead said: “It’s a antithetic benignant of unit this time. I cognize however satisfying it is to spell retired determination with the Team GB logo on.

“You privation to spot those athletes with a grin connected their faces, and coming distant from the Games knowing they’ve done arsenic good arsenic they tin and person memories that volition past a lifetime.”

Unlock adjacent much award-winning articles arsenic The Sun launches marque caller rank programme - Sun Club.