Vancouver, Feb 11 (DPA) Everything began falling into place Wednesday with less than 48 hours to go before the opening of the Vancouver winter Olympics.
And that even included the snow.
While rain dropped down in Vancouver, the snow-starved Cypress Mountain venue north-west of the Canadian city finally got the white stuff it was hoping for.
Elsewhere it was touch and go for organisers and officials, with fog causing problems for alpine ski downhill training in the Whistler Mountains.
The forecast of rain at the weekend could yet play havoc with scheduling.
The final dress rehearsal for the opening ceremony was held at B.C. Place stadium in Vancouver on Wednesday evening, with an audience of sponsors and volunteers on hand – but no media as Vancouver organisers try to keep the lid on Friday’s extravaganza.
Snow falling on the Cypress Mountain venue for the snowboarders and freestyle skiers brought sighs of relief all round.
Around 5 to 6 centimetres of snow was now covering the ground which will not only help the courses but “also look pretty for the spectators”, International Olympic Committee (IOC) director of communications Mark Adams said.
Organisers have been using helicopters and trucks to dump and ferry snow at the venue, some 30 kilometres from Vancouver, which Saturday will see its first medal event, the women’s moguls.
The weather caused problems at Whistler Creek where organisers have decided the men’s and women’s downhill trainings Thursday will take place simultaneously – an Olympic first.
Wednesday’s first men’s practice run was unable to be completed, with only 42 of 87 starters finishing the 3.105-kilometres Dave Murray piste.
Olympic rules state all athletes must have a run on the same day to make it count as official training. And a race can only take place after at least one training session.
“This is our only chance to get a training in before the next front arrives,” said Guenter Hujara, the FIS men’s race director.
One of the prospective stars of the Games – US alpine skier Lindsey Vonn – meanwhile said she was uncertain whether she would compete after suffering a badly bruised shin in training a week ago.
“This is definitely the most painful injury I have ever had,” said Vonn who has been unable to ski since suffering the injury in Austria.
Vonn, 25, said she would have a better idea of what shape she is in after taking part in Thursday’s training run. The first women’s race is the super combined on Sunday.
The US ski team’s doctor, Bill Sterett, said: “She has a fairly significant muscular contusion in her right lower leg.”
However, Vonn was “on the mend”. He added: “Her mindset is fired. She is going to be 100 percent ready for Sunday’s super combined.”
The IOC session meeting in Vancouver meanwhile chose the Chinese city of Nanjing to host the second Summer Youth Olympics in 2014.
Nanjing defeated the Polish city of Poznan 47-42 in a secret ballot. Singapore is hosting the first summer Youth Games in August this year.
Buenos Aires was chosen as venue for the IOC general assembly in 2013, a meeting which will decide the hosts for the 2020 summer Games, elect a successor to Rogge and define the 25 core sports of the summer Olympics.
rounak