Programs
Competitions
Venues
Access
A la carte
Photo Album
From the Olympics Toword Tomorrow
 |
Heavy snow disrupts events at Nagano Olympics
At the snowboarding venue in the ski resort of Shiga Kogen, where heavy snow fell steadily early Monday morning, organizers rescheduled the women's giant slalom event for Tuesday after postponing it twice in the morning.
Heavy snow also forced organizers to put off the Alpine men's combined slalom at Happo-one in Hakuba to a later date.
The changes are frustrating for thousands of spectators, who travel to the venues only to find events canceled.
''I really wanted to see the downhill,'' said Takehiko Murakami, a Japanese bank employee who traveled from Tokyo to watch the Alpine men's combined event.
The downhill portion of the Alpine combined was originally slated for Monday, but on Sunday the Games organizers rescheduled it for Tuesday, swapping it with the combined slalom event.
''I tried to call the Nagano Olympic organizing committee. The phones were all busy. I talked to volunteers at the venue and they said 'we don't know','' Murakami said, shaking snow off his hat.
At Shiga Kogen, spectators who traveled by bus to the venue Monday morning were stranded in the vehicles while waiting for the weather to clear.
''It can't be helped. It's the weather,'' said a spectator on one of 60 buses in a parking lot.
Others were less resigned.
''I came early and I thought I might freeze to death,'' said Noriko Maruyama, a 22-year-old from Nagano.
Organizers rescheduled the snowboarding women's giant slalom for Tuesday, but Murayama said, ''I can't come tomorrow. I have to work.''
At Karuizawa, the snow held up traffic and many ticket holders to the curling competition at Kazakoshi Park Arena missed the first match at 9 a.m.
(Kyodo News)
No part of the article, photographs, or illustrations presented here may be printed or used without permission.
Copyright 1998 The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun