Winter Olympics 2018: Strong winds postpone first alpine skiing event

There's no question it's cold in Pyeongchang with temperatures below zero, but only two days into the Winter Olympics, strong winds are postponing the first race of the 11-event alpine program.

The men's downhill, which was scheduled to take place at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday (11 a.m. Sunday in Korea), was postponed to Feb. 15 while the men's super-G has been pushed to Feb. 16 in Korea. The announcement came just three hours before the men's downhill was scheduled to start.

The event was postponed due to dangerous 40-45 mile per hour winds. They also canceled the downhill training run which was scheduled for Monday in South Korea. "Very strong winds, with gusts up to 72 kilometers per hour, that are expected to continue all day have forced the jury together with POCOG to postpone the event as originally scheduled at Jeongseon Alpine Centre," the International Ski Federation said in a statement. "A committee comprised of IOC, POCOG, and FIS officials will meet to determine a future date for the Olympic men's downhill."

According to race organizers, the lift that carries teams and officials to the top of the mountain could not be operated.
The weather conditions are not expected to improve for two to three days, which could cause the alpine skiing schedule to shift even further back in the Olympics