More trouble for the 2009 World Championships

Pierrat quit, saying he was frustrated at the lack of progress being made on facilities in the French resort, two months after former ski champion and local hero Jean-Claude Killy resigned as chairman of the organising committee. A former cross-country ski champion, Pierrat said he had handed in his notice on Wednesday (5th Sept) and would leave in early January, after deciding that he could not work with local authorities in Val d'Isere. "We have been ringing the alarm bells for a long time now but instead of looking for solutions people here are always creating new problems and controversies," Pierrat told French sports daily L'Equipe on Thursday. "There is no way for me to do a good job in those conditions.”

"The ski world championships can take place without me. I'm not the right person for this position any more, I don't have any competence and motivation left," Pierrat added. "Work on the pistes has progressed, I am not worried about that, but as far as all the other facilities are concerned, nothing happens. There is a clique of local councillors who all have their opinion, who are lighting fuses," he said. "Val d'Isere is not short of arsonists."

Killy, a triple Olympic gold medalist, resigned in July saying he, too, was frustrated at the lack of progress in his home resort's preparations. After he quit, French Minister of Youth and Sport Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin stepped in to try to help and she is due to visit Val d'Isere next month.

Following this second resignation, a delegation of FIS officials visited the resort where select changes to the structure of the organising committee have since been defined, including the imminent appointment of a new Director General. (Just announced today - Jean-Luc Fabre will assume the position.)

In the meantime, planning for the Championship test events is proceeding according to the plan; the ladies’ downhill and super-G are set for 13th-16th December 2007 while the men’s downhill and super combined follow on 2nd-3rd February. In addition to the strong sports program, many great side events are being planned during both these Audi FIS World Cup Events. At the venue, work is currently underway on the courses. The 52ème Critérium de la Première Neige for the ladies will be held on the new course Rhone-Alpes on the Solaise mountain, for which all construction is proceeding as planned with completion scheduled for the end of this month. On the men’s course, a final site inspection by FIS Chief Race Director for the men, Günter Hujara, was been set for 24th September.

Source: Reuters & www.fis-ski.com