LIVIGNO, Italy – Olympic officials moved several freestyle skiing competitions to Friday after heavy snowfall made conditions unsafe Thursday at the Italian Alpine venue, though organizers say the schedule adjustments won’t significantly impact the Games concluding this weekend.
Competition organizers rescheduled the men’s aerials qualifying rounds and finals to begin Friday at 9:30 a.m. GMT, with the men’s halfpipe qualifying sessions starting an hour later.
Women’s halfpipe qualifiers remained on Thursday’s evening schedule, though officials planned to assess conditions before making a final decision on those events.
“Snow is an occupational hazard of winter sports,” International Olympic Committee spokesperson Mark Adams said during a press briefing.
“They are well used to dealing with delays, changes and bad weather … We are used to it, the federations are used to it. It is something we have to work with, unfortunately.”
Weather-related schedule modifications aren’t unusual for the mountain resort of Livigno, situated near Switzerland’s border and nicknamed “Little Tibet” for its remote Alpine location.
Winter Olympic organizers routinely adjust competition schedules when weather conditions interfere with events.
Earlier this week, officials delayed the women’s snowboard slopestyle finals and postponed the start of freestyle aerials competitions for both male and female athletes.
The Olympic closing ceremony is scheduled for Sunday evening at 7:00 p.m. GMT in Verona.
