 Poster: A snowHead
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Faulty electronic timing at the famous Schladming floodlit 'night slalom' has caused a dispute within international ski racing involving the Italian team, Austrian team, the International Ski Federation, Austrian Ski Federation, and Swiss and German timing companies.
Photo: www.skiracing.com
Deceptively quick times were posted for two racers after the first run, subsequently proven incorrect to the race jury by video evidence and a back-up timing circuit... It appears that the timing stopped before the racers reached the finish line. An overrule occurred. There was then a protest from the Italian team, whose racer Giorgio Rocca believed he had the winning time.
The distinguished ski competition website SkiRacing.com has discovered that timing equipment has been impounded by the International Ski Federation (FIS), in the context of an ongoing controversy about the Austrian Ski Federation's employment of Siemens to handle timing in their country. The FIS's worldwide contract with Swatch has been undermined by this arrangement.
This report from Ski Racing.com, who are expecting to report further developments.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Fri 28-01-05 12:24; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Some more details, including a few controversial comments from Georgio Rocca, over on snowRacers... as well as a report from our man on the spot, Neil McQuoid, on Alain Baxter's disappointing performance as he struggles to find form in the slalom event ...
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Rocca's comments on the Austrian 'mafia' (based on which Austrian offshore island?) will no doubt strike a chord with many but he needs to keep his Latin temperament in check. In this case it seems that the Austrians had nothing to hide - after all, what could they hide?
There's intriguing speculation about a snowball being chucked through the timing beam - definitely a snowball in hell, if it happened - but if it happened was it deliberate?
Lots of room for conspiracy theories here!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Further developments in this fiercely political story, reported by Canada.com.
The resolution of this dispute, which is now complicating bonhomie at the World Ski Championships (held partly in the interests of promoting peace) will involve the Secretary-General of the International Ski Federation, Sarah Lewis.
Sarah is a remarkable individual - a former member of the British Ski Team who has uniquely (for a Brit) climbed the greasy pole of the FIS to a position of considerable influence in international ski racing. I got to know her in the early 1980s, and had no idea she had ambitions like this. Haven't seen her for about 20 years!
Another humble London skier from way back - who I used to ski with on Alexandra Palace plastic slope - who's done very well for himself is Mike Payne. Mike became a very strong freestyle skier and is now Director of Global Broadcast & Media Rights (formerly Marketing Director) for the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne.
British skiers may not always get to the podium, but there are other opportunities! [Is that enough name-dropping for this merry morning?]
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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FIS has rejected the appeal lodged by the Italian Fed. See the full text of today's press release on snowRacers
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