Ski Federation, Sochi 2014 Ready for Test Events

(ATR) Sochi 2014 organizers face their biggest challenge to date in February as the mountain cluster venues in Krasnaya Polyana host a packed schedule of World Cup ski and snowboard test events.

Competition begins Friday with the first-ever Cross-Country World Cup being staged at the "Laura" Cross-Country Skiing and Biathlon Center, located on the crest and slopes of Psehako Ridge, about 6.5 kilometers northeast of the Krasnaya Polyana Village. Action begins with men’s and women’s freestyle sprint events on Friday and runs through Sunday.

FIS Secretary General Sarah Lewis spoke to Around the Rings at last weekend’s Hahnenkamm races in Kitzbuehel about the upcoming test events in the Sochi 2014 mountain cluster.

"It’s the first and only opportunity for cross-country to test the tracks, test the operations, the logistics and the whole set-up," said Lewis. "It’s a huge event for them."

Nordic combined, comprised of ski jumping and cross-country skiing, will simultaneously hold their World Cup this Saturday and Sunday, while sharing the venue with cross-country and also utilizing the nearby "RusSki Gorki" Jumping Center.

"Nordic combined had the benefit of already having the Summer Grand Prix, which was very successful and they also got reports from ski jumping, which went very well also," said Lewis, referring to the ski jumping World Cup in December.

The busy schedule in the Krasnaya Polyana valley continues with a joint Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Cup from Feb. 7 to 20 at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park.

"With freestyle and snowboard, it’s the first time that we have the new events on the Olympic program with slopestyle and halfpipe freestyle and all of those events will be carried out during these test events, so they’re going from zero to one-hundred," said Lewis.

The venue consists of two separate finish areas and stadiums in close proximity. They are coined HAM and PSC – HAM for halfpipe, aerials and moguls and PSC for parallel snowboard events, slopestyle and cross, referring to ski and snowboard cross.

"The venue is amazing –the FIS experts are thrilled and in their opinion, it’s the best one that FIS has set up to date," Lewis added. "Not to mention the fact that it is right next to the Olympic village."

In recent months, FIS President Gian-Franco Kasper, who did not attend the Hahnenkamm races, had expressed significant concern that, according to the Sochi 2014 organizers, the mountain venues will not be able to accommodate the amount of spectators and media as initially proposed to the IOC.

According to Lewis, the issue will be addressed by the IOC Coordination Commisssion in Sochi in mid-March.

"It is being analyzed, no doubt," said Lewis. "At this stage, we’ll hear if there are any possibilities and how potentially anything can be changed or increased. At the moment, it is as it is, but nevertheless I think this has enabled an opportunity to review the whole structure."

Hahnenkamm Races in Kitzbuehel

The historic ski resort of Kitzbuehel, Austria hosted the 73rd edition of the fabled Hahnenkamm races last weekend with all competitions staged as scheduled. The venerable ski racing venue was the last major stop before next week’s FIS Alpine World Ski Championships begin in Schladming, Austria.

Twenty-three-year-old Italian Dominik Paris won Saturday’s showcase event, the Hahnenkamm downhill on the famed Streif course, in front of 42,000 fans. Paris was the first Italian to win the race since 1998.

Three-time Olympic medalist Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway took victory in Friday’s super-G, while Austrian favorite Marcel Hirscher, the defending overall World Cup champion, raced to his 4th slalom victory this season on Sunday. Croatian Ivica Kostelic won the classical combined, which combines aggregate times from the downhill and two runs of slalom, for the 4th consecutive year.

In addition to title sponsor Audi, other key sponsors of the Hahnenkamm races included Longines, A1 Telekom Austria, Red Bull, Gösser Beer and Generali Group Insurance.

Click here to view an On-the-Scene Photodesk fromKitzbuehel.

U.S. Ski Racers to Join Russians on Olympic Tracks

Alexander Glebov, one of just two Russians to compete in Kitzbuehel, had a solid run going during Friday’s super-G before missing a gate on the lower section of the course.

Glebov, 29, expected to represent Russia in alpine skiing at the Games, said he looks forward to returning to Sochi in February for additional preparation on the future Olympic slopes at Rosa Khutor.

"We are going for some training after the World Championships in Schladming," he said. "We will have our national races there and then we will have our training period. I think we’ll be there a week or more so hopefully we’ll have good weather and can get good training in there."

As part of an agreement between the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association and the Russian Ski Federation, Glebov and teammates will likely be joined by members of the U.S. team including Tim Jitloff.

"It’s a special circumstance and it’s a lot of work for our team to get organized to be there, but as anyone will tell you the opportunity to get on an Olympic or World Championship hill prior to the event is always helpful," said Jitloff.

As part of the cooperation, Glebov and the Russians were afforded valuable training time at the U.S. Ski Team’s new speed training center in Copper Mountain, Colorado, prior to the start of the season.

Audi Presence in Kitzbuehel

Audi, which was announced as the new automobile supplier of the IOC earlier this month, served as the title sponsor of the Kitzbuehel Hahnenkamm races for the 13th time.

Part of its highly visible presence in Kitzbuehel was "Audi Night" on Friday when guests of the car manufacturer were welcomed at the Hotel Zur Tenne for the social opening of the race weekend.

In addition to its partnership with the IOC, Audi is also affiliated with the National Olympic Committees of Germany, Finland, Russia and Switzerland as well as numerous National Ski Associations.

Reported by Brian Pinelli in Kitzbuehel.

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