PANDEMIC TAKES OUT SKI START

The traditional opening of the alpine ski World Cup speed season in North America was cancelled with events in Canada and the United States wiped out by the COVID-19 outbreak, the sport’s governing body FIS said Thursday. The first men’s and women’s downhills set for Lake Louise, Alta., and Beaver Creek, Colo., along with technical races in Vermont, have been removed from the calendar. Races in Europe will go ahead as scheduled starting Oct. 17-18 with men’s and women’s giant slaloms in Soelden, Austria. Lake Louise was to be the venue for men’s downhill and super-G events from Nov. 25-29, with the women moving into the resort for a downhill and superG the following week. The cancelled races will be added to the European calendar with additional events in France and Switzerland.