Final Rating: 4/5
From Canadian director Ryan Sidhoo, The Track chronicles the struggles of the Bosnian luge team as they look to return to the Olympic stage. At one time the famed course in Sarajevo was one of only 19 functional tracks around the world. Now, it has been left to time, a memory of what the nation once achieved.
The film follows the journey of three young hopefuls, Zlatan, Mirza and Hamza starting in 2018 as they look to qualify for the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Their coach Senad Omanovic is their biggest champion and fervently devoted to restoring the sport in Bosnia. From the start these young men face an uphill battle, whether it’s the cost of equipment, travel, or having to remove tourists walking the track, which has ostensibly become reduced to attraction, so they can properly train.
The track is symbolic of the nation itself, and likewise bares its scars. This once beautiful city hosted the world for the 1984 Winter Olympics, and now much of it is left in ruins, abandoned to time as the country struggled through war and is now awash in financial troubles. At one point Senad walks the track, pointing out bullet holes that remain all these years after the war. He spends his days fixing the track on his own time and out of pocket because he wants the young men to have the same opportunity as his generation. The scenic shots of the beautiful countryside interspersed with footage from the games in 1984 showing the old buildings and facilities, only reinforce how tragic it is that this fate has befallen their nation.
It’s made very clear the uphill battle they face when compared to the funding other nations receive. At one point Hamza shows us a pair of his gloves that are supposed to have spikes to help grip into the ice when they push to start, but his are so worn out they’re gone.
They received some funding from the Olympic Committee but, as with anything attached to finances it becomes political, so the luge team was only allotted a small amount compared to the skiing athletes because, as Senad notes, he didn’t vote for the politicians who make these decisions. This in part led to them having to take a year off from competition. In interviews with the boy’s families it becomes increasingly clear that they want them to make their own way in the world which may ultimately mean having to leave for green pastures.
One take away that will resonate with even the most cold hearted cynic as the story unfolds is just how much it means to Senad and others in the nation to restore that sense of pride. There is a clip from an interview he gives with a local TV network talking about how they may lose the team altogether, and it is incredibly emotional to see someone who has dedicated his life to the sport and his country plead their case, reduced to tears. One can’t help but feel invested.
Zlatan qualified for the 2022 games and received a hero’s welcome upon returning home, not to mention becoming an internet celebrity in host China when at the Beijing games, with his good looks and charismatic nature. Mirza went on to further his studies in western Europe as there wasn’t much for him back home in the way of higher education. Hamza’s training was derailed by the team having to take a year off, and uncertainty around the sports future, but he remains there with his family.
The Track at its heart is a duality, serving as a metaphor for the perseverance and determination of these men against the odds, much as the great concrete structure still stands, a testament to what once was, and the struggle that remains behind. It’s still present, still gives hope to those who pursue this dream, and a symbol of better times that feels so long ago.
Though it is certainly akin to other underdog stories, it never gets overly dramatic in its portrayal of their circumstances, and instead lets the lives of these men, and their determination, speak for them, imbuing them with heart as they face this struggle with courage and humour.
The Track was seen during the 2026 International Film Festival of Ottawa.
