Cesana Pariol was the venue for bobsled, luge and skeleton during the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. The track, built for the games, is located in Cesana. The venue holds approximately 7,130 spectators, of which 3,624 are seated.

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Construction details

The track is constructed with about 54 miles (87 km) of ammonia refrigeration pipes to help form ice on the track for proper sliding. Numerous sensors located along the track ensure that the ice's thickness is kept between 5 and 10 cm (2 to 4 inches) to keep the track properly smooth during competitions.

History

During construction of the track prior to the 2006 games, there was concern that the track would be completed in time for homologation. A minor archaeological find (Roman ruins) during construction slowed progress until the remains were excavated (near the current Turn 11).

The track was completed in late 2004. In January 2005, the FIBT and FIL held their homologation events at the track. The FIBT had no issue when they ran their events during the weekend of January 21-23, 2005. The following week, the FIL ran their events, and had several crashes. Included in the crashes were Austria's Wolfgang Linger (broken ankle and calfbone), Brazil's Renato Mizoguchi (medically-induced coma), and the U.S. Virgin Islands' Anne Abernathy (collarbone). During the summer of 2005, discussions were held among TOROC (the organizer of the 2006 Games), FIBT President Robert H. Storey (Canada), and FIL President Josef Fendt (Germany) about refitting the track for safety reasons. An agreement was reached by all three, and turns 16 through 18 were modified as such. The track was finally modified in late 2005 in time for homologation. Test runs done by Italy's Armin Zöggeler in late October 2005 led to the track being homologated on October 31, 2005 after it had been approved by former German national team coach Josef Lenz and FIL track commission chair Klaus Bonsack.

Cesana Pariol is now part of the complex called Torino Olympic Park. Post-Olympic usage for the tracks includes bobsleigh rides for the public.

Statistics

Sport	Length of track (meters)	Number of turns
Bobsleigh, skeleton, and luge - men's singles	1435	19 (11 left and 8 right)
Luge - women's singles and men's doubles	1233	17 (9 left and 8 right)

The venue includes a vertical drop of 114 meters from start to finish.

Turn Number	Name	Reason named
1.	Champlas	Local town near the track.
2.	Gancio	Italian for "Hook"
3.	Il Muro	Italian for "The Wall". Women's singles and men's double luge have their start house after this turn.
4., 5.	Gemelli	Italian for "Twins".
6., 7., 8.	Toro	Italian for "Bull". Also for the toroid or torus shape of these three turns. It is also an Omega-shaped curve.
9.	Cesana	The comune where the track is located.
10.	Nino Bibbia	1948 Winter Olympics gold medalist in skeleton at St. Moritz. Italy's first gold medalist in bobsled, luge, or skeleton.
11.	Museo	Italian for "Museum". An archeological find was found near this turn during track construction.
12., 13.	Chicane	Shape of these curves.
14.	Chaberton	After the Chaberton Mountains that the inside of this curve faces.
15.	Lavatrice	Italian for "Washing machine"
16.	Compressionie	Italian for "Compression". From the compressive forces put upon the body during the maneuvering of the sled through the turn.
17.	Senza Nome	Italian for "Without Name". 17 is considered an unlucky number in Italy.
18.	Pariol	The village in Cesana where the track is located.
19.	Eugenio Monti	Six-time Olympic medalist and 10-time bobsled World Champion medalist from 1957 to 1968.

Sport	Record	Nation - athlete(s)	Date	Time (seconds)
Luge - men's singles	Start	David Möller -	February 12, 2006	2.461
Luge - men's singles	Track	Albert Demtschenko -	February 13, 2006	51.396
Luge - women's singles	Start	Silke Kraushaar -	February 14, 2006	4.320
Luge - women's singles	Track	Sylke Otto -	February 13, 2006	46.820
Luge - men's doubles	Start	- Christian Oberstolz & Patrick Gruber	February 15, 2006	4.629
Luge - men's doubles	Track	- Patric Leitner & Alexander Resch	November 19, 2005	46.691

Championships hosted

Since the 2006 Winter Olympics, the track has served as a World Cup venue for both the International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation and the International Luge Federation. It hosted the 2008 FIL European Luge Championships during January 7-13 and will host the 2011 FIL World Luge Championships (Dates TBD).

References

1. As of January 13, 2008.