Swiss Sliding is pushing ahead with the construction of new sleds with the "NEOS" project. Among other things, the association wants to build on previous successes at the 2026 Olympic Games.
Swiss Sliding already had similar plans not so long ago, with a view to the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing. However, the ambitious goal could not be pursued due to a lack of funding. The Covid pandemic also hit the project hard. Promised material could not be delivered, promised work could not be completed and financial commitments could not be met.
Producing a competitive bobsleigh requires a great deal of expertise from Swiss industry and bobsleigh sport, as well as substantial financial support and a functioning network of partners. Swiss Sliding has worked hard to build up all these factors over the past 18 months. In January, the first prototypes were tested on the tracks in Innsbruck, St. Moritz-Celerina and La Plagne.
Further development of the first prototypes continued in the spring and this summer. Thanks to the support of the Federal Office of Sport (FOSPO) and Swiss Olympic, the project has been given new structures. In the meantime, partners such as Sauber Technologies, Swiss-Ski and the RUAG armaments group have joined the project.
Swiss Sliding has also agreed a cooperation with the Austrian Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation that will run until the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan/Cortina. The aim of the partnership is to strengthen the development and promotion of bobsleigh in both countries and to create synergies between the two independent national associations. The agreement came into force on October 1, 2024 and ends on March 31, 2026.
Swiss Sliding will test the new two-man sled for two weeks from October 19 as part of the training camp in Lillehammer. If the tests are successful, the sled will be homologated as soon as possible and used in the World Cup. The first four-man sled is expected to be available at the end of March next year.
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