Winter Olympics organisers resolve snow problem at ski site
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A Dec 12 photo showing the Olympic rings and the logo of the Milan-Cortina Games, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
PHOTO: AFP
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- 2026 Winter Olympics organisers fixed a broken pipe at the Livigno site, resolving issues with artificial snow production for snowboarding and freestyle skiing events.
- SiMiCo confirmed they can now guarantee 28,000 cubic meters of snow per day, with 53 cannons producing 3,500 cubic meters per hour, and aim to deliver the site by January 20.
- FIS president Johan Eliasch previously called delays "unexplainable," urging the Italian government and regions to accelerate preparations for the Games.
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ROME - Organisers of the 2026 Winter Olympics said on Dec 22 they have solved the problems impacting the production of artificial snow at the site that will host the snowboarding and freestyle skiing events.
On Dec 16, the organising committee for the Milan-Cortina Games (Feb 6-22) told AFP that it had encountered “a technical problem” with the production of artificial snow at the Livigno site, which was already causing concern.
“Snow production was scheduled to begin on Dec 20. On Dec 12, at night, a problem arose: a pipe broke,” explained Fabio Massimo Saldini, CEO of SiMiCo, the company responsible for delivering the Olympic facilities, in a statement released on Dec 22.
“After five days, it was fixed. We brought forward snow production, and... we’ve met the start date.
“We can guarantee 28,000 cubic meters of snow per day. The 53 cannons are all in perfect working order, so we can produce 3,500 cubic meters of snow per hour.”
Saldini added “approximately 160,000 cubic meters of snow” have so far been produced by the system.
SiMiCo’s snow cannons are supplied with water from a hillside reservoir, the Monte Sponda basin, with a capacity of 203,000 m3. Construction work on the reservoir, costing €21.7 million (S$32.8 million), was completed at the end of November.
The head of SiMiCo confirmed the commitment to deliver the site by Jan 20 “so that the test event can be held between Jan 20 and 25”.
“All the problems that arose, which are part of the normal management of construction activities, have been brilliantly resolved without leaving any traces,” Saldini added.
Speaking during the women’s Alpine skiing World Cup stage in Val d’Isere on Dec 20, International Ski Federation (FIS) president Johan Eliasch said the delays in preparations at the Olympic venues, mainly in Livigno, were “unexplainable”.
“The Italian government and the regions that organise the Games, they have a lot of work to do and they need to speed things up,” he added. AFP
