Summer Roundup: Torino, Cuche, Killy, Quiksilver, etc.
If you want to ski on the slopes where the 2006 Winter Olympics will be held, try to get there before January 29, when the organizers are planning to start shutting down the mountains. The skiing at the Games will take place at the Vialattea Italian for ‘Milky Way’ a massive network of interconnected ski areas near Italy’s border with France. While a few slopes will remain open, many of the runs will be closed during much of the month of February. The Torino Olympic Organizing Committee says it’s a safety decision. Many spectators will access the women’s speed venue by way of a new gondola. Round-the-clock shuttles will take fans from Cesana up to Sestriere, where the men’s events and women’s tech races will be held, and where the athletes will be staying.
Outdoor Life Network will continue to cover World Cup skiing this year, according to John Carter, an OLN executive producer. ‘We’re back in’ said Carter, who spoke to Ski Racing last week at the Tour de France. ‘I think we’ll see coverage pretty similar to last year’s’ said Carter, adding that finding a way to provide same-day coverage is a top priority for the Connecticut-based network. OLN has an official partnership with USSA. ‘Hopefully we can capitalize on the success the team is having, and the attention Bode Miller in particular will be getting in the lead-up to the Olympics, but also after the Olympics.’
A FIS doping panel has suspended cross-country skier Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland from all international competitions for until January 22, 2007. The FIS Doping Panel decided that based on the facts submitted and the testimony of the athlete and Polish Ski Association at the hearing on May 21, 2005, the sanction for the doping offence will be one (1) year beginning from 13th June 2005. The athlete is disqualified as from (and including) the U23 OPA Intercontinental Cup competition held on January 23, 2005. The period from January 23,2005 to June 13, 2005 shall be calculated within the period of ineligibility, meaning that she is ineligible to participate until January 22, 2006.
Quiksilver, which purchased Rossignol in the spring, has promoted Marty Samuels and Pierre Agnes to new positions within the company. Samuels is now president of Quiksilver Americas and Agnes is president of Quiksilver Europe. ‘This new structure will also enable our executive management team to focus more intently on the proper integration of the Rossignol Group’ said Bernard Mariette, president of Quiksilver, Inc.
At the IOC summit earlier this month, where London was awarded the 2012 Summer Olympics, Jean-Claude Killy had praise for the Torino Olympic Organizing committee ‘All the most complex organizational aspects, such as hospitality, transport and technology, are under control and the Coordination Commission confirms the satisfaction it expressed last month in Torino’ said Killy, who is chairman of the IOC Coordination Commission. After those meetings, Killy was one of several Frenchmen to say that Paris mayor and bid chairman Bertrand Delanoe had gone too far in criticizing the tactics of the London bid.
Ambassador Richard Burt, Wes Edens and Mike Shannon have been named trustees of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation, announced Foundation Vice President Trisha Worthington. Click here for bios.
The U.S. Ski Team’s men’s team will be training more at Coronet Peak in August, due to complications over training space at the team’s usual summertime facility, Treble Cone. Coronet Peak is where the American women’s team often trains. Click here for more. For an update of the pre-season training schedules of the U.S. Ski Team’s other squads, click here.
The Hartford U.S. Disabled Alpine Championships will be held February 13-17 at Park City Mountain Resort in Park City, Utah. The schedule will be as follows: Feb. 13 Super G, Feb. 15 Downhill, Feb. 16 Giant slalom, Feb. 17 Slalom
Deadlines for FIS registration are fast approaching. USSA alpine competitors should send membership renewal form, FIS registration and payment of $80 prior to USSA before Monday, Aug. 15. If materials are received after August 15 the FIS registration goes up to $180… Membership and FIS information can be sent Attn: USSA Member Services, Box 100, Park City, UT 84060. Membership questions can be directed to USSA Membership Department at membership@ussa.org or by phone 435-647-2666.
The Canadian alpine team is supporting an initiative to create a single ministry for sports and physical activity in the Canadian government. A centralized effort ‘would reflect upon the government’s commitment to athletic excellence and sustainability especially with the focus of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games’ said Ken Read, president of Alpine Canada. Earlier this year, ACA applauded the federal government’s incremental investment of $100 million into Canadian sport, through the launch of the «Own The Podium» program, a technical program designed to help Canada become the number one nation in terms of medals won at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, and to place top three at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. Now Alpine Canada is expressing supporting the single-ministry initiative proposed by the Honourable Paul DeVilliers’ a Member of Parliament from Simcoe North (ON) – who previously served as Canada’s Secretary of State for Physical Activity and Sport.
About the Author: Pete Rugh
