Tignes World Cup cancelled

“Due to the recent large accumulation of snow, the entire race arena has too much soft snow to safely run speed events."

Large amounts of deep and soft snowfall in Tignes, France, has forced the complete cancellation of the fifth World Para Alpine Skiing World Cup, which was scheduled to run from 24-26 January.

The Tignes World Cup was set to feature the first speed races in this season’s circuit, with two days of downhill followed by super-G.

Race Director Ali Bombardier said: “The jury made the decision today to cancel the races due to the current snow conditions and concerns for safety of the athletes.

“Due to the recent large accumulation of snow, the entire race arena has too much soft snow to safely run speed events.

“Neither the time required to ensure a good racing surface, or the resources required to make this surface are available.

“We have another storm arriving Thursday night, which makes this time even tighter.

“We would like to thank Tignes and the Local Organising Committee for all their efforts. They have made a huge commitment. Unfortunately Mother Nature won this battle.”

Several metres of snow had accumulated on Monday (22 January) and initially forced the competition to be postponed until Wednesday.

The next and final stop on the circuit is in Kimberley, Canada, where the World Cup Finals will be held from 8-11 February. Races will be held in super-G and slalom events. That will be the last stop before the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games on 9 March.

Live streaming, highlights and complete results from previous World Cups this season are available on a dedicated World Para Alpine Skiing World Cup website.

Broadcasters and news agencies interested in the 2018 World Para Alpine Skiing World Cup footage and interviews can contact Sascha Beck.