Alpine Skiing Schedule On Thin Ice Postponement Results In Tripleheader Today
Get ready for the first tripleheader in Olympic alpine history.
With a backlog of delayed races that got backed up even more when snow and fog again postponed the men’s super-G, organizers scheduled three races for today in an attempt to complete alpine competition.
And even that may not be enough to get in all the races at these weather-plagued games. Organizers now must try to fit eight races into six days - or seven days, if they race on the day of the closing ceremonies.
Snow and thick fog on the Happo’one course forced another postponement Saturday in the super-G, the latest alpine event to be tormented by stormy weather. The day before, it was rain that washed out the same race.
More than 6 inches of fresh snow covered the course, then heavy fog shrouded Mount Karamatsu. Organizers pushed back the start of the super-G six times, then gave up for the day and reset the race for 3:45 p.m. today (PST).
The women’s downhill and the downhill portion of the women’s combined also are set for today, with the slalom portion of the women’s combined set for Monday.
The women’s downhill is set for 5:15 p.m. today (PST). The women’s combined downhill will follow at 7:30.
And for a change, sunshine is forecast.
In the first eight days of alpine events at the Nagano Olympics, not a single race has been run as planned. Five days have been complete washouts.
“According to the weather center, during February the weather normally changes in three-day cycles - three days good, three days bad,” said Ko Yamaguchi, a spokesman for the Nagano Olympic Organizing Committee. “But this year it’s one day good, one day bad. We have to adjust to this and it’s a very difficult task for us.”
Rain, snow and lightning wiped out the women’s downhill and the men’s super-G on Friday, delaying by at least two days Picabo Street’s bid to become the first U.S. skier to capture two gold medals in an Olympics since 1952.
Street, winner of the women’s super-G, is among the favorites in the downhill. She won silver in the 1994 Olympic downhill at Lillehammer.
The skiers are scheduled to move about 50 miles away to Shiga Kogen on Tuesday for slalom and giant slalom races.
Officials are considering the possibility of moving the slalom portion of the women’s combined to Shiga Kogen if the schedule gets backed up further.
There still is an open day at the end of the alpine schedule - Feb. 22, the day reserved for the closing ceremonies, a cross country race and the men’s hockey final.