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| Cesana Pariol | |
|---|---|
| Name | Cesana Pariol |
| Location | Cesana Torinese, Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont, Italy |
| Opened | 2005 |
| Closed | 2011 |
| Owner | Italian National Olympic Committee |
| Surface | Ice track |
| Events | Bobsleigh, Luge, Skeleton |
Cesana Pariol Cesana Pariol is a former bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track located in Cesana Torinese near Turin in Piedmont, Italy. Built for the 2006 Winter Olympics and completed in 2005, the venue hosted Olympic events, World Cup competitions, and served Italian sliding federations before being closed and partially dismantled in the 2010s. The facility sits within the Via Lattea (Milky Way) Olympic domain near Sestriere, Sauze d'Oulx, and Claviere.
The Cesana Pariol venue occupies territory in the Metropolitan City of Turin and is associated with the Italian National Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee. Designed to meet standards set by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation and the International Luge Federation, the track supported competitions in bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton at elite levels, including the 2006 Winter Olympics and subsequent FIBT World Championships-adjacent events. Its construction involved partnerships with Italian regional authorities, the Piedmont Region, and engineering firms linked to Olympic infrastructure projects in Turin and the Italian Alps.
Planning for Cesana Pariol began after Turin won the 2006 Winter Olympics bid supported by the Italian Olympic Committee and political leaders such as representatives from Silvio Berlusconi's era. Site selection considered proximity to existing winter sports hubs like Sestriere and legacy strategies endorsed by the European Olympic Committees. Construction contracts engaged Italian contractors with alpine experience, influenced by prior sliding venues such as Olympic Sliding Centre Innsbruck and Königssee bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track. Work commenced in the early 2000s, culminating in completion in 2005 to allow homologation runs by the International Luge Federation and the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation. During development, the project interacted with regional planning authorities, environmental agencies in Piedmont, and logistical frameworks linked to the Turin 2006 Organizing Committee.
Engineers designed Cesana Pariol to conform with technical criteria from the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation and the International Luge Federation while integrating alpine civil works common to venues like Whistler Sliding Centre and La Plagne bobsleigh. The refrigerated concrete track featured multiple curves and a vertical drop comparable to modern Olympic tracks, and incorporated starting houses, timing systems by companies used in Salt Lake City 2002 and Vancouver 2010, and athlete support facilities akin to those at St. Moritz and Lake Placid Olympic Sports Complex. The layout included turns that challenged pilots and sliders, with specific sections named during competition commentary similarly to curves at Kreuzberg and Eischnitz. Safety barriers, ice refrigeration, and homologation measurements were performed to standards adopted by the International Olympic Committee and tested during World Cup luge events and European Championships trials.
Cesana Pariol hosted sliding events during the 2006 Winter Olympics, including men's and women's bobsleigh, luge singles, luge doubles, and skeleton competitions that featured athletes from national federations such as Germany, Italy, United States, Russia, Austria, and Latvia. Notable Olympic medalists who competed on the track included sliders from storied programs like the German national luge team and pilots from the United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation. The venue also staged Bobsleigh World Cup and Luge World Cup stages, attracting competitors affiliated with organizations such as the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation and the International Luge Federation. Track records established during Olympic and World Cup races were benchmarks for future competitions and were referenced alongside records from venues such as Sigulda and Sanki Sliding Center.
As with other high-speed sliding venues including Whistler Sliding Centre and Königssee, Cesana Pariol's operations involved rigorous safety protocols imposed by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation and the International Luge Federation. During testing and competition phases, officials from the IOC and international federations monitored athlete runs, ice quality, and start procedures. The venue saw investigations and technical adjustments after certain incidents, paralleling safety reviews undertaken at tracks like Olympic Sliding Centre Innsbruck and leading to procedural changes in training schedules, protective equipment standards advocated by the International Olympic Committee, and national team risk assessments conducted by federations from Germany, Italy, and the United States.
Following the 2006 Winter Olympics, Cesana Pariol hosted World Cup stops, national championships, and training blocks for federations including Italy, Germany, and Austria, contributing to regional winter sports tourism in Piedmont and the Italian Alps. Long-term legacy discussions involved stakeholders such as the Italian National Olympic Committee, local municipalities like Cesana Torinese, regional authorities in Piedmont Region, and the Turin 2006 Organizing Committee, weighing maintenance costs against benefits seen at legacy venues like Lake Placid and St. Moritz. Decommissioning steps in the 2010s reflected trends in post-Games infrastructure management observed after Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014, with parts of the site repurposed for alpine facility access and community recreation overseen by local councils and sports federations.
Category:2006 Winter Olympics venues Category:Sports venues in Piedmont