Olympic men's downhill races to start earlier Thursday
The Olympic men's downhill race and the men's Alpine combined downhill event, both slated for Thursday in Hakuba, will start earlier than the scheduled time, Nagano Olympic organizers said Wednesday.

The downhill, Alpine skiing's showcase event, will get under way at 9 a.m. -- an hour earlier than planned -- on the Happo-one slopes while the combined downhill will begin two hours earlier than scheduled at noon in the same location.

The organizers came to the decision based on weather forecasts that indicate the weather in the ski resort village may deteriorate sometime Thursday afternoon. (Kyodo News)

(February 11, 1998)