Alpine skiing: Race director received death threats after parallel events
Fondazione Cortina 2021 issued a statement expressing her support and solidarity after the threat was sent via email to the Italian.
“For an event like ours based on the values of sports and fair play, it is unacceptable that a respected professional like Marcus receives such serious messages that are beyond normal debate and confrontation,” the statement said.
The men’s and women’s parallel events, with pairs of skiers competing with each other on parallel giant slalom pistes, were being held at the world championship level for the first time on Tuesday.
Both proved controversial, especially with the rule stating that no skier could finish the first half by more than half a second, leaving his opponent behind to maintain enthusiasm.
Critics said that the very different positions of the red and blue adjacent pistols meant that they favored their second run on a less rutted red layout.
In the women’s quarter-finals, all four skiers who went to the final on Blue Run were eliminated, including Federica Brigon of Italy and Wendy Holdner of Switzerland – both of the big medal hopes.
“I have never seen such an unfair race,” Brigon told reporters. “The one who started blue earlier had practically already won.”
In the women’s final, Italy’s Marta Bassino and Austrian Kathrina Leinsberger shared the gold after initial confusion when their time was level but the tie was not immediately announced.
In the previous knockout heat, the fast skier passed on the second run.
“I am very happy to win my first individual medal, but it needs to be discussed later today,” said French men’s winner Matthio Favre.
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