Construction work has officially begun on the technical "Vertigine" course at the site of the 2021 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Italian town Cortina d’Ampezzo ©Getty Images

Construction work has officially begun on the technical "Vertigine" course at the site of the 2021 International Ski Federation (FIS) Alpine World Ski Championships in Italian town Cortina d’Ampezzo.

The new slope will host the men’s giant slalom and slalom competitions at the Championships, which are scheduled to take place from February 9 to 21 in four years' time. 

The first part of the construction is due to conclude around the middle of October.

"In July, we completed all the administrative projects related to the slope projects for the World Championships 2021 and now they begin their work," said Paolo Nicoletti, managing director of the Cortina 2021 Foundation, which is responsible for generating a legacy from the Championships.

"We in the foundation all worked diligently and in close cooperation with all parties involved.

"Thank you for the great collaboration, and I believe that the suggestions made by the FIS have been taken into consideration and that the deadlines can be met to carry out the necessary test events and important competitions prior to the Championships.

"Making the event spectacular, meeting the budget, and environmental care are the criteria that inspire all of our decisions.

"The Vertigine track is an extraordinary example of harmonious integration of new infrastructure in the original area."

The Vertigine track, which will be located on the Tofana di Mezzo peak with a start elevation of 2,373 metres, ends by crossing the Stratofana Olimpica track and will share the finish at 1,568m.

Cortina d’Ampezzo has previously hosted Alpine Skiing World Cup events ©Getty Images
Cortina d’Ampezzo has previously hosted Alpine Skiing World Cup events ©Getty Images

Discussions on the courses and finish areas were key at the second Coordination Group meeting for the Championships, held in June.

Nicoletti welcomed a delegation from the FIS to the host town, including secretary general Sarah Lewis.

Representatives from the Italian Ski Federation, led by Alpine skiing director Massimo Rinaldi, were also present alongside a party from Infront Sports and Media.

The meeting came after businessman Alessandro Benetton was appointed head of the Cortina 2021 Foundation in May. 

This year's FIS Alpine World Championships were held in St Moritz in Switzerland in February, with the biennial event heading to Åre in Sweden in 2019.

Cortina was the only candidate for the 2021 event, which was awarded at the FIS Congress in Cancún in Mexico last year.