The sliding centre hosts the bobsleigh, luge and skeleton competitions during the Games and Italy's plan to reconstruct a sliding centre where an old, defunct venue existed had hit obstacles from the very start of preparations. To not go ahead with a sliding centre and move the sliding competition to an already existing and working venue. "It's the Olympic Games, so there's a lot of implications. It's not just renting a sliding centre and go and take the competition. Hong Kong, which returned to China in 1997 but still has its own separate National Olympic Committee, hosted the equestrian events of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

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Persons: Giovanni Malago, Denis Balibouse, Malago, it's, Andrea Varnier, It's, Sudipto Ganguly, Karolos, Karolos Grohmann, Peter Rutherford Organizations: National Olympic Committee, Milano, Cortina, Games, REUTERS, Rights, International Olympic Committee, Olympic Games, Olympic Committee, IOC, Thomson Locations: Lausanne, Switzerland, Rights MUMBAI, Italy, Austria, Germany, France, Stockholm, Melbourne, Australia, Hong Kong, China, Beijing