Athletes criticize giant slalom in Alta Badia

Athletes count Fs

“Disrespectful and negligent”

The giant slalom in Alta Badia took place on Sunday, but the athletes were beside themselves. There was harsh criticism of the organizer.

At the end of the giant slalom in Alta Badia on Sunday, the Swiss Marco Odermatt triumphed. Even though he was smiling at the end and happy about the victory, he had felt uneasy about skiing down the slope hours before. The conditions were not optimal. There were many athletes who complained about the condition of the slopes and the external conditions. But it didn’t help, the world association (Fis) decided to let the giant slalom take place.

Filip Zubčić said on ARD about the slope: “The preparation is really bad. Our trainers prepare better slopes for the test runs than those in charge in the World Cup.” The winner of Beaver Creek, Thomas Tumler, told the Swiss newspaper “Blick”: “After the inspection, most racing drivers agreed that we would not compete in a race under these conditions.”

The Austrian Manuel Feller, who was eliminated after the first run, also told “Blick”: “The fact that we have to compete in a race in these conditions is almost a bit disrespectful and negligent towards us athletes.” Odermatt also made it clear: “If my word had decided, we wouldn’t have driven today.”

According to Justin Murisier, it was mainly due to two athletes that it took place: “Loïc Meillard and Henrik Kristoffersen spoke to the jury in favor of starting the race because they had favorable starting numbers with 1 and 3 for this bad slope.” However, neither ended up on the podium. The Frenchman Léo Anguenot took second place and thus his first World Cup podium. The Norwegian Alexander Steen Olsen came third.

The Swiss Tumler reported to “Blick” that Kristoffersen changed his mind after he did not achieve his desired result: “After he spoke out in favor of a race at the start, he said to me at the finish that this race should have been canceled.” Kristoffersen has always been known as a loner among otherwise well-connected Norwegians. He once told the “Kronen Zeitung” about himself: “Maybe I’m just not that social.” However, he himself said on ARD about the condition of the slopes: “Then the outside ski slips away. And then it becomes difficult.” Meanwhile, Murisier emphasized that it was a “scandal” that this was happening.

Germany’s former ski ace Felix Neureuther explained as an ARD expert that he could understand those responsible. He said: “The preparation could have been much better – but it’s an open-air sport. There are the best drivers in the world at the start, so you have to be able to drive everything.”

At least Marco Odermatt has proven this once again. The three-time overall World Cup winner summarized the day at “Blick” as follows: “In the first run, due to the lousy conditions during the inspection, my tactic was: the main thing was to get to the finish safely. But when I viewed the second run, I saw that the The slope developed very well and that’s why I felt confident enough to attack fully.” Odermatt also leads the overall standings.