State of Salzburg on the other hand: No women’s slalom in Flachau
Due to a recommendation by the State of Salzburg, the Alpine Women’s World Cup Slalom will not take place in Flachau on January 11th. According to its own statements, the Austrian Ski Association (ÖSV) is looking for a new venue on Thursday. Due to the high corona incidence numbers in Flachau, the state government has spoken out against the outlined event.
In close coordination with the International Ski Federation FIS, another location is to be found within Austria. The ÖSV emphasized in a broadcast on Thursday that.
On Thursday, ÖSV President Roswitha Stadlobere was optimistic about the APA – Austria Press Agency that the Flachau Slalom will find another location in Austria. “The talks are ongoing, we are in good spirits that we will find a replacement location.” The decision should and must of course be made quickly. “We will definitely decide that soon, probably tomorrow,” said the President. People have waited, but something like this comes as a surprise. “But of course we already had it in the back of our minds and imagined scenarios.”
A year ago, on January 12, 2021, the American Mikaela Shiffrin prevailed over Katharina Liensberger in Flachau. The fact that the scene was shaking a year later was announced due to the high number of new corona infections in Flachau. In the Salzburg tourist area, the seven-day incidence on Wednesday morning was 7,627 – even if Mayor Thomas Oberreiter wanted to calm with the argument that between 15,000 and 16,000 people with guests and staff were currently in the 3,000-inhabitant town . Flachau is just one of many winter sports locations, such as Kitzbühel, where the corona virus has recently spread rapidly.
At least Flachau, even if the ÖSV apparently still has a replacement location in the drawer, is the first cancellation or postponement of this Olympic winter due to the coronavirus pandemic. It is also in the great interest of the slalom specialists that the gate run WILL still be held, because otherwise only this Sunday in Kranjska Gora is on the program before the Olympics.