Inside abandoned Olympics track with ghost venue left overgrown with grass and iconic rings torn down
THERE is hope that hosting the Olympics will create a sporting legacy that will last several years.
But the Turin 2006 Winter Games did not have the desired impact with one of the key venues now left abandoned.
Cesana Pariol in the Italian region of Piedmont hosted the sliding events 17 years ago but it has now been left derelict.
Olympic medals in the bobsleigh, luge and skeleton all were won on its track.
The facility eventually stopped hosting competitions in 2012 and it was then used as a training venue.
But it has now been left untouched for several years with the grass overgrown and the iconic Olympic rings torn down.
The track is also now falling to bits and the building overlooking it resembles something from a ghost town.
Graffiti covers some of the facility in the picturesque Alps.
The Olympics return to Italy in 2026 with Milan-Cortina set to host the event.
There has been infrastructure problems with rumours that some sports could move to nearby Turin amid an idea to redevelop 2006 venues due to it being cheaper than building new ones in Milan.
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And there was speculation that Cesana Pariol could be modernised to host the sliding events.
However, chiefs have decided against the plan and the abandoned venue looks set to remain empty and unused.
Instead, the sliding sports will surprisingly take place out of Italy.
Games organiser Giovanni Malago confirmed that the government have decided not to invest in a new venue, giving them no option but to look abroad.
Centres already built not far from Italy include tracks in Switzerland, Austria, Germany and France, with all thought to be potential options for 2026.
It is very rare for sports to take place outside the host country but in 1956 Stockholm in Sweden hosted the equestrian events due to quarantine restrictions in Australia.
And Hong Kong, which the Olympics treat as a separate country, played host to the equestrian for the 2008 Beijing Games in China.