IOC president Rogge says warm weather not damper downhill skiing
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The awareness of lack of snow and warm weather will not put into danger the downhill and such skiing events at the coming Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, said the International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge here on Monday.
Warm weather and heavy rain in Vancouver have shadows the prospect of several events, as Alpine snowboarding and freestyle skiing were thought to be either postponed or cancelled. However, Rogge said the organizers are ready to handle all the possibilities.
"I think that we should not dramatise the problem of the snow at the Cypress Mountain. There is no danger of the competition," Rogge said at a press conference.
Cypress Mountain, venue of the snowboarding and freestyle skiing, was closed a few days during mid January following heavy rain and no new snowfall.
"There will be no postponements for reasons of lack of snow, but there may be postponements for too much snow, which is not about to happen these days," the IOC president explained.
"Global warming is clearly a factor that we have to take into account in elaborating preparation for Games. I believe the organizers are able to manage for every scenario," Rogge said.
Rogges admitted global warming worries the entire world on a big range of issue. It might affect the staging of the Winter Games in the long term.
"We are not in an environment with a white carpet, it's true. On our end, we have always asked for Green Games."
"We had the final report of the VANOC (the Vancouver Organizing Committee), I can say that we believe that VANOC is ready," Rogge said.
