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sports Saturday 17 OctOber 2020
World Cup skiing heads quietly into season full of questions

By ERIC WILLEMSEN ue, and FIS in cooperation
Associated Press with local organizers and
VIENNA (AP) — The usual health authorities "will be
jitters before Alpine skiing's in close touch and moni-
World Cup season opener tor the development of the
won't be limited to the rac- situation."
ers this weekend. The staging of races is
Organizers, sponsors and crucial to the World Cup
fans will be just as anxious and its participants from a
about the 2020-21 cam- competitive perspective,
paign, which starts amid ris- as qualification events are
ing numbers of coronavirus needed for the season's
cases across Europe. marquee event — the
Even before its traditional worlds in Italy.
start in Soelden, Austria, It's also important from
on Saturday, the season is a financial perspective.
surrounded by many ques- The loss of ticket revenue
tions — and they are not means greater reliance on
just about who will win the income from TV broadcast
races. rights and sponsorships to
The American and Canadi- help the sport survive an
an swing in November and unusual winter.
December was canceled ___
and partly replaced by In this Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020 file photo, United States' Mikaela Shiffrin smiles on the podium after SHIFFRIN'S COMEBACK
events in Europe, and the winning the alpine ski, women's World Cup super-G, in Bansko, Bulgaria. Associated Press The women's World Cup
men's and women's circuits season starts Saturday
have been kept apart as race Sunday. media and invited guests. rules. without a string of familiar
much as possible. In previous seasons, around A similar protocol will be A racer who has tested names, including Mikaela
But can all 38 men's and 34 15,000 fans per race would applied to the next races positive won't be able to Shiffrin, Viktoria Rebens-
women's races on the cur- travel up to the Rettenbach in Lech/Zuers in Austria on compete, but there is no burg, Tina Weirather and
rent calendar take place glacier, but this weekend Nov. 13-14, and in the re- general rule, for instance, Anna Veith.
as scheduled? no visitors, apart from 200 mote resort of Levi in Fin- that after two positive tests But while the latter three
What about the Feb. 8-21 invited guests, are allowed land the following week. an entire team will be with- have all retired, Shiffrin is
world championships in on the hill when Federica After its rather quiet start, drawn from a race. out with a back injury. The
Cortina d'Ampezzo? Or Brignone and Aleksander however, the World Cup in "The Expert for Testing and American three-time over-
the Feb. 24-28 Olympic test Aamodt Kilde start the de- December is scheduled to Hygiene is responsible to all champion stayed in
event in Yanqing, China? fense of their overall World travel to crowded winter review the situation and will Soelden for training earlier
There are questions about Cup titles. sport hot spots like Sankt suggest further action," one this week.
travel restrictions, testing, The event was brought for- Moritz in Switzerland and of the FIS guidelines reads. Brignone, who dethroned
and how racers will perform ward by one week to avoid Val d'Isere in France. Also, at least seven out of Shiffrin last season to be-
after their mostly hampered tourist crowds and shield The Swiss Ski Federation on the top-10 ranked nations come the first women's
off-season preparations. World Cup teams and offi- Friday announced fans will must be able to travel to a overall champion from Ita-
At least the start in Soelden cials from the outside world. be banned from all its rac- venue, otherwise no World ly, won Soelden five years
has a familiar touch be- Virus testing will take place es in the entire winter. Cup points can be award- ago. Other pre-race favor-
cause the competition pro- upon arrival in Soelden While the International Ski ed at that race. ites are Petra Vlhova, Mar-
gram of the traditional kick- before participants are al- Federation has set guide- However, according to FIS, ta Bassino and last year's
off event has not changed, located to one of the four lines concerning virus risk a race will not be automat- surprise winner, 18-year-old
with a women's giant sla- "bubbles" separating teams management, local orga- ically canceled if too many Alice Robinson from New
lom Saturday and a men's and officials from workers, nizers also have their own teams cannot reach a ven- Zealand.q

Ulissi sprints to win Giro Stage 13; Almeida still in pink

MONSELICE, Italy (AP) — and Arnaud Démare, were Saturday's 14th stage is a
Diego Ulissi sprinted to vic- dropped on the final climb. 34-kilometer (21-mile) indi-
tory at the end of the 13th It was Ulissi's second win in vidual time trial through the
stage of the Giro d'Italia on this Giro and eighth over- Prosecco vineyards from
Friday, and João Almeida all. He beat Sagan to win Conegliano to Valdobbi-
held on to the pink jersey. Stage 2. "We did a great adene.
Ulissi, an Italian rider job on the last climb to drop "I am a bit disappointed
with UAE Team Emirates, the sprinters and arrive with with my second place, I
launched his sprint with a small group," Ulissi said. wanted a stage win," Al-
about 600 meters to go "(Brandon) McNulty was meida said. "I was really
and edged Almeida and very good in the final, how close but not close enough.
Patrick Konrad at the end nice to get another success "Tomorrow will be a hard
of the mainly flat 192-kilo- in the Giro!" time trial."
meter (119-mile) leg from Almeida, a Portuguese rid- The Giro was rescheduled
Cervia to Monselice. er with Deceuninck-Quick from its usual May slot be-
There were two catego- Step, moved 40 seconds cause of the coronavirus Italy's Diego Ulissi, right, sprints ahead of Portugal's Joao Almei-
rized climbs towards the ahead of Wilco Kelderman pandemic. The race ends da to win the 13th stage of the Giro d'Italia, tour of Italy cycling
end of the route. Two of the and 49 seconds ahead of in nine days with an indi- race, from Cervia to Monselice, Italy, Friday, Oct. 16, 2020.
top sprinters, Peter Sagan Pello Bilbao overall. vidual time trial in Milan.q Associated Press