Women's super-combi race postponed

Last Updated: Friday, February 12, 2010 | 12:45 PM ET

By Lindsey Craig, CBC Sports

Fog is making visibility difficult for Olympic skiers. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

The first Olympic postponement because of weather was announced on Friday, with the women's super-combined race scheduled for Sunday delayed.

At least one training run is needed for any Olympic alpine skiing event to take place, but rain made conditions treacherous on Whistler Mountain on Friday, cancelling men's and women's downhill training runs.

Atle Skaardal, chief race director for the International Ski Federation, said the plan now is to try to hold a training run Sunday.

He said he hopes the weather improves, and that the race can occur on Monday.

The men's downhill is still scheduled to go off on Saturday, but Skaardal admitted it could be a "huge challenge" to occur on schedule.

Whistler's Robbie Dixon and Erik Guay of Mont-Tremblant, Que., have posted encouraging times in training for Canada. They were among a small number of skiers who got in two official training runs this week.

'They know they can push back'

It was the third consecutive day that mild temperatures, fog and rain played havoc with training plans for Olympic alpine skiers.

"It can definitely play a role in which day the gold medal will be given out," said 1992 Olympic gold medallist skier and CBC reporter Kerrin Lee Gartner.

"The reason downhill was scheduled so early in the Olympics is for exactly this reason, they know they can push back," Lee Gartner added.

While athletes' safety is the most important consideration, she said it's unfortunate for spectators.

"Of course fans want to see it on the weekend, they want to be out here, so the goal is to get this underway on time," she said.