00:00The famous five rings of the Olympics stand in front of the Dolomites.
00:04In just under a year, the Winter Games begin, including here in Cortina.
00:09It's the first time a Winter Olympics has had multiple host cities.
00:13While tourists ski on the Olympic slope above the town,
00:17construction workers are building a new arena for bobsleigh events.
00:21It has been controversial since the original proposal to renovate a 100-year-old track faltered.
00:26The International Olympic Committee even proposed using a venue outside of Italy instead.
00:31After an intervention by the Italian government, work began on a new track here in Cortina one year ago.
00:37With testing due to start at the end of March, the head of the project is convinced everything will be ready on time.
00:43It's a difficult project, however we are tackling it with the right spirit and competency in respect of time, costs and quality.
00:52I must say we are working towards plan A. Other people can worry about any emergency.
00:59If they don't make the deadline, plan B involves moving events to Lake Placid in America, over 6,000 km away,
01:06which will be a huge embarrassment for Italy.
01:09The cost of building the Cortina circuit is so far estimated at $123 million.
01:15Local critics fear it could become a white elephant.
01:19We won't need this facility because bobsleigh is a sport that no longer has any athletes.
01:24There are about 20 or so bobsleigh athletes and another 30 or so between luge and skeleton.
01:29So it's a sport that will have no future and we will be saddled with it.
01:35Cortina will host bobsleigh, skeleton, luge, women's alpine skiing and curling.
01:41It has hosted before in 1956.
01:44The original Olympic stadium has been renovated and will be used for curling.
01:48Officials hope that the new facility will have similar longevity.
01:52The new sliding centre will be very important for the legacy of Cortina.
01:56Cortina has an old history, an old tradition in this kind of sport
02:01and for sure the new facility will put again Cortina in the centre of the map.
02:09400km away, Milan will host the opening ceremony, Olympic village, skating and ice hockey.
02:15Events will also be held at six other locations,
02:18meaning spectators will have to travel long distances between competitions.
02:22Alex Fraser, CGTN, Cortina d'Ampezzo.
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