It is a rare occurrence when athletes call a halt to an event on the eve of the competition. Yet that is exactly what has happened in Pyeongchang, South Korea on Feb. 7 when competitors and their coaches met with the skiing world’s governing body prior to the scheduled World Cup snowboard cross event. This event was set to be held on the proposed course for the 2018 Winter Olympics and came little more than a week before an IOC group of inspectors is due to arrive in South Korea to assess the country’s bid to host the Games.
The athletes and coaches met with FIS officials to complain that the course was unsafe for elite competitors to compete on. Citing these concerns, the FIS and Korea Ski Association agreed to cancel the planned competition.
Anyone interested in the complete story of this highly unusual development in the world of sports should go to http://www.insidethegames.biz/winter.olympics/2018/11890/snowboard-event-on-2018-winter-olympic-course-cancelled-over-safety-fears.
The article linked to in this piece was written by Duncan Mackay, the British Sports Internet Writer of the Year. Greg Tyler is the Editor of The Sport Digest blog.