The sliding events at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will be held at a venue outside Italy after the government decided not to pay for a new venue, Games organizing chief Giovanni Malago said on Monday.

Malago told an International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting that the government had decided not to invest in a venue for the Games, leaving organizers no option but to look for one abroad.

The sliding center hosts the bobsleigh, luge and skeleton competitions during the Games and Italy's plan to reconstruct a sliding center where an old, defunct venue existed had hit obstacles from the very start of preparations.

"The ability to attract some construction companies carrying out the complex project that is the sliding center has not produced many results," Malago said of a tender launched this year.

"The (Italian) government informs us it would consider the best and most sustainable option. To not go ahead with a sliding center and move the sliding competition to an already existing and working venue.

"As a result, Milan-Cortina has to identify another venue outside Italy."

Sliding centers near Italy include venues in Switzerland, Austria as well as Germany and France.

"We are evaluating all possibilities because it's not just about moving competition, it's much more than that, said Games CEO Andrea Varnier.

"It's the Olympic Games, so there's a lot of implications. It's quite a broad discussion. It's not just renting a sliding center and go and take the competition. So that's why we'll take a little time and talk with all the available centers."

Moving an Olympic sports competition to another country is extremely rare, with Stockholm hosting the equestrian competitions of the 1956 Games in Melbourne due to quarantine restrictions in Australia.

"We are already working to explore all possible solutions," Malago said.

"We will analyze alternatives together with the IOC and the international federations before submitting the choice to our board for final approval.

"A decision like this will impact the operation and has a consequence on the budget of the organizing committee," Malago added, without providing details of the impact the move may have.

The IOC has in recent years relaxed hosting rules with cities that do not possess specific venues, encouraging the use of existing ones – even in other countries – to reduce costs and simplify operations.