Mikaela Shiffrin’s chances of extending her three-year reign as overall champion took another hit when the alpine skiing World Cup finals in Italy were canceled Friday because of the virus outbreak.
Shiffrin already lost her lead in the standings because of a month-long absence following the death of her father.
The Italian Winter Sports Federation was hoping to host the finals, scheduled for 18-22 March in Cortina d’Ampezzo, without fans. But during an emergency International Ski Federation board meeting on Friday, every nation besides Italy voted to cancel the event, the Italian federation said.
“It’s with great disappointment that I accept this decision,” Italian federation president Flavio Roda said. “Every member of the board made their decision based on limitations that their respective governments have imposed in relation to the virus.”
World Cup rules prevent the finals from being moved to another location.
Shiffrin announced on Thursday she was returning to the circuit in Europe but she has only one set of races left in Åre, Sweden – if she enters – to try to erase her 153-point deficit to Italian rival Federica Brignone.
“It’s an inconclusive way to finish the season,” Brignone said. “What really hurts me will be the loss of the prize celebrations, which represent a special moment to share with the entire team, and the pleasure of hearing your national anthem play.
“I’m really upset. We were looking forward to racing in front of our fans in order to finish this great season in the best manner possible.”
“It’s even more disturbing if I think about how well I’ve been skiing lately, and how every race was an opportunity to post good results. … I’m also upset because it means I finish second in the super-G standings behind Corinne Suter courtesy of that hundredth of a second that cost me the victory in La Thuile last Saturday.”
The cancellation leaves only two weekends of racing left for the men, with Alexis Pinturault leading the overall standings, 26 points ahead of Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, and 107 points ahead of Henrik Kristoffersen.
The title will be decided by speed races in Kvitfjell, Norway, this weekend, and tech races in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, next weekend.
The cancellation of the finals means Beat Feuz of Switzerland clinched the downhill title. He leads Thomas Dressen of Germany by 194 points.
If she races, Shiffrin will be among the favorites in the three races in Åre beginning next Thursday: a parallel slalom, giant slalom and slalom.
The American skier announced in a video posted on Instagram that she was flying to Scandinavia this week.
“I have no promises if I’ll actually be able to race,” Shiffrin said in a six-minute video message that addressed the emotions about her father, Jeff, who died on 2 February.
View this post on Instagram
Over the last few weeks, my family and I have received an overwhelming amount of support and love. The most kind and heartwarming messages you could imagine, checking in on us, sharing quotes and poems, song-lyrics, and telling wonderful stories about my Dad. Sometimes it feels like we are drowning in these messages, like we can’t keep up with the support and love that everyone has shown, yet in so many ways it has also been our lifeline. We have not been able to respond to everything, but we want you all to know that we feel your love, and we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for sharing it with us. Many have asked how we are doing, and where we are in the “grieving process”? The truth is, we haven’t really even started. Accepting this new “reality” is going to take a long time, and maybe we never truly will, maybe we don’t have to. Because we can still feel him here. In our hearts, in our thoughts, in the sky and mountains and snow. He made his mark, and he is here. Many have also asked about my return to skiing and racing. I have been able to train a little bit over the last few weeks. It has been a slow process, but it has been theraputic to be on the mountain. I’ve found training to be a place where I can feel closer to my dad, yet it provides enough of a distraction so that feeling of “closeness” can be separated from the pain. I am flying to Scandinavia today. I have no promises if I’ll actually be able to race when the time comes, and I don’t really even have goals. I just hope to make a few good turns. I think that would make my dad happy. If and when I do return to competition I’d ask that you continue to respect my privacy, especially as it relates to my family’s heartbreak. We are so thankful for the time we had with him—we cherish every single one of those moments—and we will keep him here in our hearts and our memories forever. 🤍
Shiffrin said she trained a little but with difficulty.
Also in contention for the women’s title is Petra Vlhová. She is 189 points behind Brignone, who is attempting to become the first Italian woman to win the large crystal globe.
The races in Cortina were slated to be the first major test of a new men’s course for next year’s world championships in the Italian resort. The resort known as ‘the Queen of the Dolomites is also slated to host skiing during the Milan-Cortina Olympics in 2026.
Nearly 150 people have died in Italy, the epicenter of the outbreak in Europe, and more than 3,000 have tested positive for the virus. Many nations have imposed travel restrictions to Italy.
A total of nine events were scheduled for Cortina: four men’s races, four women’s races, and a team parallel event.