Heavy snowfall has disrupted the Winter Olympic Games in Livigno, Italy, forcing the postponement of several freestyle skiing and snowboard events. Organizers are scrambling to adjust the schedule as conditions remain challenging, impacting both qualifying rounds and medal events.
The women’s snowboard slopestyle final, originally slated for Tuesday, February 17, , has been pushed back to Wednesday, February 18th. The disruption affects Australian competitor Ally Hickman, sixteen, who was scheduled to participate. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) cited the difficulty of maintaining a safe and fair course in the relentless snowfall as the primary reason for the postponement.
“With the amount of snow we have seen today, it would be nearly impossible to keep the course clear of fresh snow in a way that would allow for safe and fair competition for the athletes,” a FIS spokesperson stated.
The women’s and men’s freestyle aerials qualifications have also been impacted. Initial attempts to postpone only the men’s qualifying allowed for a revised start time for the women’s event, but deteriorating conditions ultimately led to the cancellation of both for Tuesday. The decision was further complicated by the inability of the air ambulance to operate safely in the heavy snow, raising concerns about emergency access to the Livigno Aerials and Moguls Park.
The conditions are particularly challenging for aerials, where competitors launch themselves from steep jumps. Visibility is significantly reduced by the snowfall, and the added snowpack impacts speed and landing conditions. Practice sessions were abandoned on Monday due to similar issues, highlighting the persistent nature of the weather-related disruptions.
Reilly Flanagan, an Australian making his Olympic debut, acknowledged the difficulties but emphasized the need for adaptability. “We’ve already had two days on the site jumping and testing it out, seeing what the site is like,” Flanagan said. “It would have been ideal to jump today, but everyone’s in the same boat, and we just have to adjust, do what we can, do a bit of visualisation and go from there.”
Flanagan, 21, from Noosaville, has been competing in aerials for five years and on the World Cup circuit for the past two. He described the current conditions as some of the worst he has experienced, noting the impact on both safety and performance. “These are probably some of the worst conditions that we’ve tried to jump in. Given that we’re not jumping, the conditions are not very good, but it’s definitely not ideal with the snow.”
Organizers had preemptively moved the snowboard slopestyle qualifying event to Sunday in anticipation of challenging weather. Slopestyle, which involves navigating rails and other obstacles, is particularly susceptible to speed issues caused by snow accumulation. The men’s slopestyle final is now scheduled for Wednesday, February 19th, with potential for further adjustments through Sunday, should the need arise.
The disruption in Livigno follows a similar situation on Monday, when the women’s freeski big air final was delayed due to blizzard-like conditions. Maintenance crews worked to clear the slope, allowing the event to resume once conditions improved. This marks the second consecutive day that adverse weather has forced changes to the Olympic schedule in Livigno.
The only event currently scheduled to proceed as planned in Livigno on Tuesday is the men’s freeski big air final, though its start time of 7:30 p.m. Local time remains contingent on weather conditions. The ongoing challenges underscore the logistical complexities of hosting a Winter Olympics in a mountainous region prone to unpredictable weather patterns.
The Winter Olympic Games are being broadcast on the 9Network, 9Now, and Stan Sport.
