So now we've seen rain, sun and rain again. We got through the first difficult period with our exact planning. As soon as it got better we were ready to go and delivered some excellent races, especially the men's downhill which probably was a surprise to some. I have great respect for the medal winners and all the racers here. What's even more impressive is the motivation of the volunteers and workers on the course. They have put in a shift after shift for close to three weeks now. And I cannot forget my team of Helmut and Hans who are the mans in charge of the hill preparation and the entire teams of workers. Chapeau to all - we could not have done it without them!

I have seen some first TV viewer figures: they are really really good! In Germany they have set new records. The same thing in the USA. And the success of the Americans is great for our sport here in North America. It speaks of a great interest in our sport. And it is good for our future because there is such tough competition for viewers and fans among all the sports and so many other freetime activities. That is why it was good to bring ski cross into the Games. It presents a completely new dimension of Alpine ski racing to the big audiences. I think it is a very interesting new event. Like our recent city events it opens up new options for our future and adds some fresh air. That is what we need, together with our Classics, to attract the young people between 16-30 to our sport. I think the right mix is the key. Just following the boom would be wrong, exactly like just standing still. We need to use these new elements with our professional race series which is and remains our core. And add to that our best athlete ambassadors like Lindsey and Aksel who both are doing great promotion for the sport and helping it grow. Overall we can be quite happy with where we are. So now, let's just get the final slalom done!

For many, the men's Olympic downhill is the crown jewel of all ski racing. I am pleased that we were able to deliver it as well as we did. It was only thanks to massive effort that it was possible since everything was against us and the conditions were very, very challenging.

On the race day, the course was in excellent shape. All feedback from the racers, coaches and others confirmed this. And given that all the Olympic medalists were World Cup winners I have to say I am proud about what we achieved. I think it would not have been possible without our very detailed planning and especially not without the great cooperation within the entire team on the mountain, from the leaders to all the course workers and hundreds of volunteers. I honestly am really proud of the end result.

Unfortunately the super combined, too, had to be rescheduled after another weather front came through. Because of that we have now had to resort to our reserve plan that was designed to best support the teams especially with accommodation in the Olympic village and the TV operations. The super-G will be as scheduled on Friday and the super combined now on Sunday so that we can finish the speed events before the men's technical events begin with the GS on Tuesday.

We have now been working pretty much around the clock for almost ten days. After the downhill I was extremely tired. It was like falling into a hole, On average I have been getting some 2-3 hours of sleep a night. But then I really sleep. Actually I like sleeping but we do not have time for that here. We are really focused and I keep myself going by looking for solutions and making exact plans that will get us to our goal. Which is delivering good races here in Whistler.

 

The Games are all about success. They are about positioning. Programs and their future financing. Achievement by individuals, coaches, teams, federations. They are also about societal processes, at the national level. Sports suddenly have society-wide impact, for those two weeks they reach completely different dimensions. Everything and everybody is involved. Strategic directions suddenly find their expression in sports.

I used to be a coach so I know how it can be. The stress, the pressure. You do all you can to defend your strategic advantages. You try to do what you can to reach your big goals at the Games. I've been there so I understand their arguments even if they sometimes fail to see the big picture.

Our task as the jury is to offer the best possible opportunities to as many athletes as possible. That does not mean that we will always please everyone. Criticism at a jury's decisions is as old as the concept of a jury itself.

Where this all gets its really special nuances is the downhill. Olympic downhill especially. Downhill as an event features elements such as risk, safety, fear, course conditions; even the smallest changes can play a decisive role in downhill ski racing. There is the fear of the worst possible and the need to ensure the best possible conditions. It is at the biggest events that we see the greatest emotions. That is what makes sport so special. And that is when we in our role in the jury are challenged not to stand still but to find solutions.

These are my 9th Games and I have seen 1200 events at the Games, World Championships and World Cup level in 19 years. So today was not really anything extraordinary. Rather it's Whistler weather. We knew it from before. Some may call it Whistler December weather but I have been here at different times of the year, and it has not really made a difference. It can be beautiful and sooner than you know, it is pouring rain or snowing heavily.

This morning we were pretty hopeful that the good weather window would allow us to run the entire men's training run. It was looking all right though Helmut and I had the feeling relatively soon that it would be tough. Then unfortunately the fog moved in. Although we waited as long as only possible we could not complete the run. It was an exhausting and challenging day!

According to our rules, a training run must be completed for it to count. That means that we had no official results from today and all racers still must have had one training run before a downhill race. For us it is important to stage the Olympic competitions in the proper way and exactly follow all the rules and procedures. And , we still have two more official training days scheduled before the opening downhill set for Saturday. It is that simple, we will keep fighting hard to deliver a great event here in Whistler!