Malagò has insisted that he remains confident over preparations for the Games but conceded that "everything revolves around the plant engineering issue".

"I'm an optimist by nature and I have great confidence, but you have to be realistic," Malagò told Sky Sport.

"I compare myself in a collaborative and proactive way both with the [International Olympic Committee], our partner, and with the Milan Cortina 2026 Foundation and the Government - we are in pursuit because this is the country, this is the unequivocal reality.

"We're in good company with so many other deadlines that I'm not talking about.

"And unfortunately it's not obvious that one arrives at the right time and at the right moment with the tasks done.

"You have to put yourself in a position not to get into a risky situation.

"We are working with a great sense of responsibility for this.

"Everything revolves around the plant engineering issue."

Companies are being sought for the construction work for the Cortina Sliding Centre.

It has been calculated to cost €85 million (£72.9 million/$92.5 million)  - nearly double the original estimate of €41.7 million (£36.5 million/$45.3 million).

A deadline of November 2025 has been set by Società Infrastrutture Milano Cortina 2026 for the competition of the venue to stage bobsleigh, luge and skeleton at Milan Cortina 2026.

Initial preparations for the venue were completed earlier this year, including demolition-controlled work near the track to clear the way for new installations.

But there are concerns in Italy that any delays could scupper those plans and lead sliding sports to move to Innsbruck in Austria or St Moritz in Switzerland which have been recommended as alternative venues by the IOC Evaluation Commission.

According to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, concerns were raised at a recent meeting of Ministers at Palazzo Chigi over delays in work with no construction sites open between the regions of Lombardy and Veneto.

National Association of Building Constructors (Ance) Veneto issued a statement in May saying it was "worried by delays and unfinished works" in preparation for Milan Cortina 2026.

"We cannot miss this key opportunity for the revitalization of the economy of our territory," said Ance Veneto President Paolo Ghiotti.

"The increase in shipyard costs linked above all to the increase in raw materials is also worrying. A situation that cannot be to the detriment of the companies that carry out the work."

It is reported by La Repubblica that a meeting is set to take place in in Cortina d'Ampezzo on July 21 where Ance Veneto will study the economic impact of the Games in the region.

"There are many important works to be carried out, for which construction sites have not yet started," a statement from Ance Veneto read in La Repubblica.