Women`s Downhill Called Off

The race, which had been due to start at 1200 GMT, was twice delayed by an hour before being called off.

The women's downhill race at the Alpine skiing world championships scheduled for Sunday was postponed due to bad weather, organisers said.

The race, which had been due to start at 1200 GMT, was twice delayed by an hour before being called off.

Snow had been falling on this French Alps resort since Saturday night. Visibility was not too bad at 1400 GMT on Sunday but a thick layer of fresh snow on the Solaise piste made it impossible to stage the downhill.

"We expected 10 centimetres of snow and we had over 20," International Ski Federation (FIS) spokeswoman Rikka Rakic told reporters.

Weather permitting, the race will be rescheduled for Monday, with the men's super-combined, comprising a shortened downhill and a slalom run, also on the agenda.

"We will have both the women's downhill and the men's super-combined tomorrow," Rakic said. "It will be a busy day,"

The programme should start with the super-combined downhill at 0900 GMT, followed by the women's downhill at 1200 GMT and the slalom of the super-combined, now to be staged under floodlights, at 1600 GMT, organisers said.

The women's events here are staged on the Solaise course while the men's races take place on the Bellevarde piste, on a mountain opposite.

The forecast for Monday was mixed with overcast skies and a low risk of more snowfalls. There is no race scheduled for Tuesday and a snow storm is expected that day.