Beijing Winter Olympics. Team event: the wind gives no respite. Recovery or cancellation?

From our correspondent Simone Battaggia

February 19
– YANQING (China)

No Team Event, at least for today. at 11.30 local time – 4.30 in Italy -, the jury decided to cancel the race. The gusts of wind were too strong to sweep the basin of the “Rainbow”, the track that was to host the race. The jury reserves the right to retrieve it tomorrow, the last day of competition in Beijing 2022. Already in the morning it was clear that the conditions would be extreme.

Temperatures between -15 and -20 and strong winds made the race impossible, with the gates of the parallel giant bending towards the snow. The gondola that from the arrival of the fast trials climbs towards the start of the slopes has been stopped, at the arrival of the team event it was only possible to arrive by bus. The athletes remained in the hospitality areas. Italy is one of the 15 teams registered in the competition. The “owners” are Marta Bassino, Federica Brignone, Luca De Aliprandini and Alex Vinatzer. In the second round the crossing with Russia is expected. For Sunday the weather is still forecasting strong winds.