The century-old sliding center being completely rebuilt for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games is pushing the deadline really tight.

By Elvira Pollina MILAN (Reuters) -Italy began the one-year countdown to the Winter Olympics on Thursday with a series of events designed to fuel enthusiasm for the Games that will be co-hosted by Milan and the Alpine town of Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Is it? Italy has ski resorts in abundance and spectacular mountains but one pressing concern remains rebuilding the century-old sliding center in Cortina d’Ampezzo. The International Olympic Committee has set a deadline for the end of next month for pre-certification of the Cortina track.

MILAN (AP) — Next year’s Winter Olympics might be called the Milan Cortina Games but they will actually be staged across a large swath of northern Italy. Covering an area of more than 22,000 square kilometres (nearly 10,000 square miles), the 2026 Games will be the most widespread Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics ever.

Milan Cortina Winter Games, which open one year from today, feature the Olympic debuts of one sport and five new events within existing sports. The Opening Ceremony is next Feb. 6 at the San Siro Stadium in Milan.