World Cup skiing openers canceled

POSTED: 1528 GMT (2328 HKT), October 24, 2006
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SOELDEN, Austria -- This weekend's opening World Cup races in Soelden, Austria have been canceled due to heavy rain and warm temperatures, organizers have said.

The season had been due to start with a giant slalom for women on Saturday and a men's race on Sunday on the Rettenbach glacier above Soelden.

"We can't hold the races because it's too warm now and it rained too much last night," said chief of press Ernst Lorenzi said after a meeting between the organising committee and International Ski Federation (FIS) directors.

"You could believe it was a warm spring day when you walk outside.

"Everything was fine until last weekend, the conditions were good enough to allow us to put together some nice snowboard events but it rained too much last night.

"It rained at the top of the mountain, at over 3,000 meters. We have never seen anything similar. It's just too bad," added Lorenzi.

It has yet to be announced if the races will be rescheduled for early November.

The men's and women's slalom events planned for Levi, Finland on November 11 and 12 could now start the season.