Samu Torsti of Finland falls during the first run of the men’s giant slalom on February 13 at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.
Fabrice Coffrini / AFP via Getty Images
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Samu Torsti of Finland falls during the first run of the men’s giant slalom on February 13 at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.
Fabrice Coffrini / AFP via Getty Images
BEIJING – Heavy snowfall – the real thing – disrupted Sunday’s Olympic events, reminding participants that this is winter incident. Amidst the snow and fog, skiers taking to the slopes struggle against their main competitor: Mother Nature.
Beijing organizers have made their skiing and snowboarding courses almost entirely man-made. Real snow changed those conditions for athletes competing on Sunday afternoon.
In response, the organizers postponed training for the women’s downhill and qualifying for the women’s freestyle skiing.
At the Yanqing Mountain ski site – a site in the mountains northwest of Beijing – snow was forecast to fall all day and it was. Teams are sent to remove excess snow with plows (large and small) and trucks to clear the playing area. In the end, the first run of the men’s giant bicycle race went as scheduled – despite vision problems for the competitors. The second run was delayed.
Workers clear snow from the finish line before running second in the men’s giant sled race. The second run was postponed due to heavy snowfall.
Fabrice Coffrini / AFP via Getty Images
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Workers clear snow from the finish line before running second in the men’s giant sled race. The second run was postponed due to heavy snowfall.
Fabrice Coffrini / AFP via Getty Images
During the giant slalom – a technical competition – athletes must ski between poles, called gates, until the end of the course.
Thirty-three skiers failed to complete the first qualifying round. They tripped in the snow as they wobbled and crept downhill. Many people fall or skid altogether due to low visibility. Others tumbled down the mountain – falling through the sky through electric poles – and were buried in the fine white snow.
Crew members prepare the field for snow before the first run of the men’s giant skateboarding during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games on February 13.
Jeff Pachoud / AFP via Getty Images
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Crew members prepare the field for snow before the first run of the men’s giant skateboarding during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games on February 13.
Jeff Pachoud / AFP via Getty Images
Henrik Kristoffersen, of Norway, briefly said of visibility, that he cannot see.
He still managed to finish the course in 27th place.
Skiers who didn’t finish their runs said they were ultimately fine with the race organizers proceeding with the competition.
“It’s frustrating for sure. It’s certainly not what I was hoping for but it’s part of the game, part of sport,” said Switzerland’s Loic Meillard, who hasn’t finished yet. “We’ve been racing in such conditions, it’s not the first time.”
Mathieu Faivre of France (left) speaks in the mixed zone after his first men’s giant slalom run.
Dimitar Dilkoff / AFP via Getty Images
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Dimitar Dilkoff / AFP via Getty Images
Mathieu Faivre of France (left) speaks in the mixed zone after his first men’s giant slalom run.
Dimitar Dilkoff / AFP via Getty Images
