The Alberta government is making a major investment to make improvements to the sliding track at Canada Olympic Park and says the funding will help aspiring athletes from around the world to develop their skills.

The facility was built for the 1988 Olympic Winter Games and is the home track for Canada’s national bobsleigh, skeleton and luge teams.

Over the last 30 years, hundreds of athletes have glided down the track and it is now showing its age.

“This past season, just to give you an idea, we did more than 18,000 runs in bobsleigh, skeleton and luge down this track,” said Barry M. Heck, President and CEO, WinSport. “The $10 million pledged by our provincial government is critical towards making this renovation a reality. We’re working on securing the remaining $10 million that we need and we expect to have that secured in the very near future.”

The project is in its early stages and includes upgrades to the cooling system and changes to the track to bring it up to current Olympic standards.

“The track remains very well used and very relevant but it’s end of life, it’s over 30 years old now,” said Heck. “We’ll be installing a whole new refrigeration system and that’s the bulk of the project and then there will be some modernization so the layout of the track will change slightly just to bring it up to, closer to the current world cup standards.”

The funding is part of the province’s Capital Plan and half will be invested in the 2017-2018 budget and the other half the following year.

Construction on the track is set to start after the 2018 Winter Olympics but the premier isn't linking the two together and says the refurbishment is a good investment and will generate new tourism and business opportunities.

“This investment is a good investment for sport here in Calgary.  It’s a good investment for our athletes regardless of where the Olympics ultimately take place. It’s a good investment for tourism, it’s a good investment for recreational sports and it’s a good investment for economic development,” said Premier Notley.

Officials say the track will also get some new lighting and shading and that the actual length of the new track will be slightly shorter.

WinSport generates about $120 million annually and provides about 1200 people with full-time jobs.

For more information on WinSport and its programs, click HERE.