Downhill At Nagano To Remain Short Course

Members of the International Olympic Committee dropped a complaint against the men’s downhill for next year’s Winter Olympics, allowing the track at Nagano to remain the shortest in recent times.

Yielding to a Japanese request, the starting point for the downhill will remain at 5,493 feet, making the course only 1.86 miles.

The International Ski Federation wanted the start moved to the 5,906-foot level. Organizers resisted due to pressure from environmentalists who claimed the starting gate would encroach on a national park.