The men's Olympic downhill race set for Saturday in Whistler, B.C., has been postponed because of poor conditions.
Organizers made the decision just after 4 a.m. PT, about 7½ hours before the planned start of the race. The event was later rescheduled to Monday at 10:30 a.m. PT.
Mild weather has turned the Olympic slopes into a soft, slushy mess not suitable for high-speed racing.
A mixture of snow and rain throughout the night made for poor skiing conditions, the International Ski Federation said. Saturday's forecast called for a high temperature of about 4 C, along with more rain, snow and sleet. Fog was also a concern.
The first women's race, the super-combined planned for Sunday, has also been delayed. The decision to postpone it was made Friday.
The next men's team captains' meeting was scheduled for Sunday evening, virtually guaranteeing that the men's downhill will not be raced Sunday. Officials will likely try to get women's training in Sunday, and hold the men's downhill Monday at the earliest.
Rules require that at least one complete training session be held before any downhill or super-combined race, so the women still need to get a practice run in before they can compete.
Canadians 2nd, 3rd in training
Only one of six scheduled training runs for the men and women has been completed, and even that one had to be shortened.
The opening men's downhill practice on Wednesday was abandoned after thick fog prevented half the field from starting their runs.
Then a truncated men's session was completed Thursday, with Canadians Robbie Dixon and Erik Guay finishing second and third, respectively, behind Austria's Michael Walchhofer. Friday's session was called off.
Only two skiers — one of whom crashed — started the opening women's training on Thursday before it, too, was abandoned. Lucia Recchia of Italy made it safely down Franz's Run but the No. 2 starter, Stacey Cook of Mammoth, Calif., lost control and slammed into the safety netting at high speed. Women's training sessions on Friday and Saturday also were called off.
The paucity of practice runs could be an advantage for Canadian skiers, who have logged more time on the Olympic hill than their competition.
Manuel Osborne-Paradis is considered Canada's best hope for a medal in the men's downhill.
The North Vancouver native ranks third in the World Cup downhill standings, and has reached the podium twice this season. He won at Val Gardena, Italy, in December, and finished second in Wengen, Switzerland, in January.
With files from The Associated Press
