Zagreb women's night slalom will feature record prize purse

ZURICH, Switzerland — The night slalom in Zagreb, Croatia, will feature the largest cash prize in the history of women's World Cup skiing, with a purse of SF250,000 ($200,000).
    The night race, which is held practically in the center of town, generates such huge crowds that organizers have limited the tickets to 20,000. “Otherwise we would have 100,000 and there would be no room to race,” said Vedran Pavlek, director of alpine skiing for Croatia. “It is time to recognize the size and scope of this event,” Pavlek continued, pointing out the team has the backing of the community and the city provided much of the prize money.
    Skiing is wildly popular in the tiny Adriatic nation, made so by the winning ways of its superstar, mega medalist Janica Kostelic and her brother, Ivica, who won the Olympic combined silver medal at last year's Torino Games.
    Kostelic has had little success in her home town, however. The first year of the race she went out early in the first run, succumbing to the pressure of a nation. Last year, despite an injured hand, she finished third. Unfortunately, health problems are continuing to dog Kostelic and she will make an announcement about her racing plans next week.
    Approximately $75,000 will be awarded to the winner of the race, which will be held the night of Jan. 4, 2007. The purse makes the race one of the richest on either the men's or women's circuit, surpassing Kitzbühel's leading prize of SF150,000 last season.