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It seems that lately, Peter Fischer, the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Alpine skiing World Cup has started to lose his nerves. On top of his already busy schedule, he had to answer at a press conference some pretty embarrassing questions concerning some race timing errors in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

It is absolutely ridiculous, that in 2011, and on a big stage such as the Alpine skiing world championship, that the timing of competitors cannot be effected without flaws. Errors can be seen on TV, and even more so in the finish arena. Split times are inaccurate or completely off the mark, with some of the lapses just being down right comical. This is taking some of the gloss away from a sport that has millions of TV viewers who are now stripped of the overwhelming emotion that the hundredth usually arouses during the races. This time around, ALGE, the Austrian company in charge of race timing, has come out as the guilty part, although it is Swiss timing that is usually in charge of timing the World cup races.

The organizers saved up by signing a “better deal”, effectively putting their trust in a less experienced timing company. They are now of course very sorry about the decision taken, not only because it totally ridicules the other strong sponsor, the reputed watch maker HUBLOT, that sees its brand name being displayed under each timed result, albeit the race being timed by the Austrian outfit.

Hublot coughed out the money to give its brand more exposure, but had almost no say in the selection of the timer to be used at the competition. This has turned out to be a nightmare for Hublot, whose hope of generating good publicity in Garmisch-Partnekirchen ends up piling embarrassment instead. The company is now directing all its efforts towards informing the public that the time is being measured by someone else.

The damage has now been repaired by the International Ski Federation, which has now amended all the results. The FIS manager Francesco Cattaneo gave assurances that all the times are absolutely correct; an assurance not shared by the journalist and some of the TV broadcasters.

The most blatant example was that of the Slovene athlete Tina Maze in the Super Slalom, who had her first time cancelled, then later reinstated. She was eventually granted the official time of 1:25:06. Slovenian and Swiss television replayed, second by second, Tina Maze’s run over and over again on their computer. At 1:25:06 Tina is at least ten meters past the finish line. Following a detailed video-analysis, it was actually considered that the excellent Slovene skier would have clocked a time half a second faster. This would have in effect meant a progression from 11th to 5th place, had that time been taken into account.

The Slovenian Ski Association is now preparing a formal complaint that must first comply with all the legal provisions. However the FIS has a rule that prevents television images being taken into account in the timing of races, rendering the chances of getting an appeal pretty slim.

The biggest problem with this farce is that each timed run falls now under severe scrutiny. When it comes to Alpine skiing, only one thing matters, and it is the race time. A single error and the whole process comes immediately under the microscope, along with the integrity of the championship.
ALGE blames high temperatures and a very loud sound system being used, which at certain frequencies can affect the time measurement. Absolute nonsense if you ask me, as some of the world championship races are held in some more extreme weather conditions without a hitch.

As far as things stand, it appears that they cannot put their finger on the error, and therefore one can now expect chaos right until the end of the championship. Nothing will change at this championship.
It is only when we will reminisce of this year’s Garmisch-Partnekirchen medal winners that we as reporters, we will mention the farce in which times where all put under scrutiny.

Original text by Urban Lavrenčič translated from the Slovene by Christian Ngalikpima.

The World Cup Finals are a sure sign that spring has arrived and that Alpine Skiing will retreat from the spotlight for half a year.

The best skiers are gathered in Garmisch Partenkirchen and are taking part in the last competitions of the season, but many are already adding up the scores of this season. The season itself is far from over; there are several National Championships taking place in April and some FIS races as well. Some skiers will take time to test new equipments, as all sponsorship deals end after the Olympics.

The Germans are learning how to organise World Championship races. Garmisch Partenkirchen is hosting major skiing events next year as well as they gained some experience by hosting the Junior World Championship in Alpine Skiing last year and this year it was the world cup finale. After what I’ve experienced, they have their work cut out for them if they wish to get any praise in the future.

The press centre in the arena was certainly too small. In fact, it was actually a combination of a canteen, a space for teams and working space for reporters. Chaos ensued. During the first race of women’s grand slalom there was a power outage and many reporters were left without visual contact and race results.

This is unforgivable; every FIS race must have backup generators to prevent such problems. There were also plenty of logistical problems and it is vital they sort out the parking facilities. All in all, there is plenty of work to be done, and the slopes themselves are not as attractive as they could be.

A lot of buzz is surrounding the Austrian team. Once the strongest Alpine Skiing team in the world just had the worst season in history. First, there is the disaster at the Vancouver Olympics: the Austrian male team did not bring home a single medal. Downhill, the most revered discipline and an Austrian speciality, proved to be a disaster. They did not manage a single win in the entire season, which last happened 18 years ago. Things weren’t that great in the Super G and grand slalom either.

The only successful skier this season was Reinfried Herbst in slalom, and this does not suffice for the Austrians. Tony Geiger’s dismissal is now a fact, and it looks like the team is changing its head of the national team after 11 years. The chairman of the Austrian skiing association Peter Schröcksnadel is announcing radical changes, for example hiring Austrian coaches which had success with training other National teams. We have some interesting changes to look forward to as far as the »coach market« is concerned.

We need to mention someone else as well. In the men’s super G, we saw Liechtenstein’s Marco Büchel on the starting line for the last time. He is one of the most well loved alpine skiers. Everyone from his competition, coaches and reporters adored him. When he made it to the finish line in his shorts, half the female world cup contestants were waiting for him there. The winner of 4 world cup races is finally giving up skiing at 38. Now he’ll be able to spend more time with his wife Tania and his dog Jesper. He will surely stay linked with skiing however; he will be the expert correspondent at a German television channel.

Once you’ve got skiing in your blood, there’s no turning back.

Each Olympic Game brings its own winners and losers and their stories inspire us and other athletes for decades to come. These are stories that embody the Olympic dream. Children that wish to become athletes don’t dream about winning a world cup or perhaps a world championship competition, what drives them is the thought of winning an Olympic medal.

This is the magic behind the most prestigious sporting event. Every 4 years the best of the
best gather for 14 days and push the limits of what was thought possible. Higher, faster, stronger.

True heroes aren’t always those who win gold. There are hundreds of athletes from all over the world, and everyone has a story. Canada was moved by the story of Joannie Rochette. The popular figure skater’s mother passed away just before the start of the Olympics, and everyone thought that she would retire from the competition, but instead, she decided to participate and show the world everything she was working for every day these past 4 years.

The whole nation supported her. She received hundreds of letters and emails, each full of support and comforting words when she needed them most. She was very nervous before both of her performances, but she managed to focus and her performance was nearly perfect. She won bronze. Her father was on the stands, crying, and everyone in Canada was watching as well.

After the competitions she said, that this was something she had to do, and that her mother would surely understand, since she was supportive throughout her career and that she felt she was with her throughout the Olympics as well. This was the first figure skating medal for Canada since 1988.

This is just one among many stories that have already become part of Olympic history and those who will in the years to come. The only other story that touched so many people during these Olympics is Petra Majdič winning bronze in sprint cross country skiing with four broken ribs.

Both athletes have shown that the power of spirit can overcome the body, and that the limits of what was thought possible can be moved.
If we look through the archives of past Olympic Games we can find many of these stories. But their magic lies in their emotional charge and their power to inspire us to try harder in our day to day lives. Not all heroes are those who appear on the big screens. Everyone, who sets out to achieve their dream and is prepared to risk it all, is a true hero.

As we bade farewell to the year gone by and welcomed in the new one, wishes and resolutions were made at midnight as per tradition, with some having come true already.
Even the most incredible ones as made by Andrej Jerman, a Slovenian skier came true as he can confirm having won the Bormio downhill.

Just ten days before he was in Val Gardena, lying in bed and watching the Saslong downhill race. After his fall in the Super G the previous day, the pain from his injuries was just too bad for him to compete; however, he didn’t give up. Mustering all his strength he undertook treatment and physiotherapy and recovered well enough beyond all expectations. The rest is skiing history. He arrived at Bormio feeling well, had two perfect trainings and a race that he nailed in the second half. The message of this story is that from hard work, determination and confidence can lead to great things.

That we can make a difference, Obama’s slogan “Yes we can” is definitely not just talk, for if we all just gave up when faced with an obstacle, there would be no progress. Humanity wouldn’t get nearly as far as it did. Some of you might argue that our progress has brought us to the edge of disaster, but that isn’t strictly what I’m talking about. It’s about the cultural and spiritual progress, about art and, to an extent, technological progress. People can make a difference. All of us can make this planet a better place in every way possible. This is my New Year’s wish for you.

With the holidays already over, I hope you spent them with your families, with those, who mean most to you. That you also thought about the elderly and spent time with children as life gets back on its old tracks so soon after the holidays.

Athletes’ lives are not easy. The skiers, that are not Europeans, can’t always get home for the holidays. Ski jumpers, for instance, have a competition on the 1st of January. The holidays gain importance with time, and older and more experienced skiers sometimes take time off for Christmas and New Years races, so that they can visit their families. Bode Miller, for instance, chose San Diego over Bormio this year. He would have ranked high had he taken part in the downhill race, but he has a daughter waiting for him in the US. Luggage full of presents, he returned home twice this holiday. When he came back, he was more at peace, focused on the task before him: do well in the world cup races and then win Olympic gold, a wish, shared by all the alpine skiers. We will have to wait for Vancouver, however, to see who the one that wants it the most is.

I wish you health, peace and success in 2010,

Urban Laurenčič