AP Interview: Ski federation president says men’s downhill delay OK from European standpoint

Ski federation president not in panic mode yet

WHISTLER, British Columbia — The International Ski Federation isn’t ready to panic over the Whistler weather woes.

Actually, FIS president Gian-Franco Kasper told The Associated Press that European broadcasters are pleased the men’s downhill was shifted from Saturday to Monday.

The race is now slated for 10:30 a.m. PST, which is 7:30 p.m. for most of Europe.

“It depends which side you see it from,” Kasper said Sunday. “For the U.S. side, yes it’s not great. But I think European broadcasters are happy. A lot more people are home watching TV on Monday night than Saturday night when they go out.”

The women’s super-combined slated for Sunday also has been postponed, and the women have failed to get in a single downhill training session. Rules require that at least one training session be held before a downhill race. The women’s downhill is scheduled for Wednesday, leaving only two more days to get a practice run in.

“The weather forecast looks relatively good tomorrow for the men’s downhill, then we’ve got to get in a women’s training,” Kasper said. “We’re on Day 2 of the Olympics, and there are 16 days. If in 16 days we still have the same situation, then I’ll get worried.”

For the last week, the downhill runs have been besieged by heavy snowfall, rain and fog combined with warm temperatures that have deteriorated the courses. But this is nothing new in Whistler, where storms constantly blow in from the nearby Pacific Ocean.

The World Cup ski circuit came to the Canadian resort for three consecutive years in the mid-1990s and failed to get off a single race each time.

“We knew exactly what we were dealing with,” Kasper said. “It’s true, we have canceled a lot of races in the past here, and that’s why we scheduled the downhill for Day 1.

“Since 1970 we’ve never had an Olympics or world championships without delays or postponements, so it’s nothing new,” Kasper said. “We’re used to it.”