Cesana Pariol was the venue for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton during the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. The track, built for the games, is located in Cesana. The venue holds approximately 7,130 spectators, of whom 3,624 are seated.
Cesana Pariol was the venue for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton during the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. The track, built for the games, is located in Cesana. The venue holds approximately 7,130 spectators, of whom 3,624 are seated.
The track is constructed with about 54 miles (87 km) of ammonia refrigeration pipes to help form ice on the track for proper sliding. Numerous sensors located along the track ensure that the ice's thickness is kept between 5 and 10 cm (2 and 4 in) to keep the track properly smooth during competitions.
During construction of the track prior to the 2006 games, there was concern that the track would be completed in time for homologation. An archaeological find (a small part of a Roman ruins) during construction slowed progress until the remains were excavated (near the current Turn 11).
The track was completed on end of 2004. In January 2005, the FIBT and FIL held their homologation events at the track. The FIBT had no issue when they ran their events during the weekend of 21–23 January 2005. The following week, the FIL ran their events, and had several crashes. Included in the crashes were Austria's Wolfgang Linger (broken ankle and calfbone), Brazil's Renato Mizoguchi (medically induced coma), and the U.S. Virgin Islands' Anne Abernathy (collarbone). During the summer of 2005, discussions were held among TOROC (the organizer of the 2006 Games), FIBT President Robert H. Storey (Canada), and FIL President Josef Fendt (Germany) about refitting the track for safety reasons. An agreement was reached by all three, and turns 16 through 18 were modified as such. The track was finally modified in late 2005 in time for homologation. Test runs done by Italy's Armin Zöggeler in late October 2005 led to the track being homologated on 31 October 2005 after it had been approved by former German national team coach Josef Lenz and FIL track commission chair Klaus Bonsack.
Cesana Pariol is now part of the complex called Torino Olympic Park. Post-Olympic usage for the tracks includes bobsleigh and luge rides for the public.
In October 2009, problems with early refrigeration of the track led the Bob- und Schlittenverband für Deutschland in Germany to lend support of short-order auxiliary services for foreign teams on such short notice. Starting 16 October, Italy and Japan's teams trained at the track in Winterberg while Austria's team trained at Königssee's track.
The track was scheduled to host events in 2011-12, but was shut down due to economic costs. After pressure from the FIBT and FIL in early 2012, the track was scheduled to run in 2012-13 only to be shut down again. In October 2012, the track was ordered to be dismantled by Cesana officials. The 45 tons of ammonia was moved from the track's refrigeration for other uses within the Turin region. However, during the 2014 Winter Olympics, President of the CONI, Giovanni Malagò, expressed the intention to ensure new investments to keep the track open. [1]
The track was considered for renovation for the 2026 Winter Olympics to be used for the sliding events, as the CONI was having trouble finding a venue for them. [2] The plans were turned down after an Italian construction company offered a €81.6 million bid to rebuild the Eugenio Monti olympic track in Cortina d'Ampezzo used in the 1956 Winter Olympics. [3]
| Sport | Length of track (meters) | Number of turns |
|---|---|---|
| Bobsleigh, skeleton, and luge - men's singles | 1435 | 19 (11 left and 8 right) |
| Luge - women's singles and men's doubles | 1233 | 17 (9 left and 8 right) |
The venue includes a vertical drop of 114 meters from start to finish.
| Turn Number | Name | Reason named |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Champlas | Local town near the track. |
| 2. | Gancio | Italian for "Hook" |
| 3. | Il Muro | Italian for "The Wall". Women's singles and men's double luge have their start house after this turn. |
| 4., 5. | Gemelli | Italian for "Twins". |
| 6., 7., 8. | Toro | Italian for "Bull". Also for the toroid or torus shape of these three turns. It is also an Omega-shaped curve. |
| 9. | Cesana | The comune where the track is located. |
| 10. | Nino Bibbia | 1948 Winter Olympics gold medalist in skeleton at St. Moritz. Italy's first gold medalist in bobsled, luge, or skeleton, and its first-ever Winter Olympic medalist. |
| 11. | Museo | Italian for "Museum". An archeological find was found near this turn during track construction. |
| 12., 13. | Chicane | Shape of these curves. |
| 14. | Chaberton | After the Chaberton Mountains that the inside of this curve faces. |
| 15. | Lavatrice | Italian for "Washing machine" |
| 16. | Compressione | Italian for "Compression". From the compressive forces put upon the body during the maneuvering of the sled through the turn. |
| 17. | Paul Hildgartner | Formerly "Senza Nome" ("Without Name" in (in Italian)). Named for luger who won four Winter Olympic, five world championship, and six European championship medals between 1971 and 1988. Among first inductees in FIL Hall of Fame in 2004. |
| 18. | Pariol | The village in Cesana where the track is located. |
| 19. | Eugenio Monti | Six-time Olympic medalist and 10-time bobsled World Champion medalist from 1957 to 1968. |
| Sport | Record | Nation - athlete(s) | Date | Time (seconds) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobsleigh - two-man | Start [4] |  Switzerland - Beat Hefti & Thomas Lamparter | 5 December 2009 | 4.72 |
| Luge - men's singles | Start [5] | David Möller -  Germany | 29 January 2010 | 2.457 |
| Luge - men's singles | Track [5] | Albert Demtschenko -  Russia | 12 February 2006 | 51.396 |
| Luge - women's singles | Start [6] | Silke Kraushaar - Germany | 14 February 2006 | 4.320 |
| Luge - women's singles | Track [6] | Natalie Geisenberger - Germany | 31 January 2010 | 46.817 |
| Luge - men's doubles | Start [7] | Germany - Tobias Wendl & Tobias Arlt | 29 January 2010 | 4.258 |
| Luge - men's doubles | Track [7] |  Italy - Christian Oberstolz & Patrick Gruber | 30 January 2010 | 46.293 |
| Women's skeleton | Track [8] | Shelley Rudman -  United Kingdom | 4 December 2009 | 58.71 |
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