The traditional start of the Alpine skiing World Cup plans to go ahead a week earlier than planned in October with reduced spectators due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The season-opening women’s and men’s giant slaloms in Soelden, Austria, will be Oct. 17-18. Moving them a week earlier will better separate the races from tourist crowds and help with accommodations, according to the Austrian ski federation.
The federation said the races on the Rettenbach glacier will be held “without a large number of spectators.”
The World Cup schedule from October through March is still on, including usual stops in the U.