Women's Olympic freeski halfpipe final postponed because of heavy snow

LIVIGNO, Italy — The women's Olympic freeski halfpipe final at the Milan Cortina Games was postponed Saturday because of heavy snow in the Italian Alps.

The International Ski and Snowboard Federation said the snow that has accumulated on the halfpipe made it impossible “to ensure a safe and fair competition for all athletes.”

The federation said officials are working to reschedule the event. The Olympics conclude on Sunday.

The final had been scheduled for 7:30 p.m. local time on Saturday. Officials then pushed that back to 9:00 p.m. before saying it was off.

Snowstorms this week have caused delays and events to be reshuffled twice already in Livigno, where the Olympic freeski and snowboarding events are being held.

The women’s halfpipe final is the final event of the action sports events at the 2026 Games.

The final will feature defending champion Eileen Gu going for her third medal of these Games and her sixth in as many career Olympic events.

The 22-year-old Gu, who was born in the United States and competes for China, has won two silvers in Italy, finishing second in both slopestyle and big air.

Four years ago, Gu became the first freestyle skier to win three medals in a single Olympics after she won gold in halfpipe and big air and silver in slopestyle at the 2022 Beijing Games.

Trying to stop her from repeating as the halfpipe champion will be Amy Fraser of Canada, the only skier to beat Gu in a major contest since she won Olympic gold four years ago. Zoe Atkin, an American-born skier who competes for Britain, is also eyeing the podium after she finished first in Thursday’s qualifying.

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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics