Olympic venue hit by mudslide: Biathlon stars escape disaster
Just hours earlier, Italy's top biathletes, including Lisa Vittozzi, were training there, where gold, silver, and bronze were contested just a few months ago.
A lucky escape for the Antholz Biathlon Centre and Italy's biathlon stars, led by Lisa Vittozzi.
The venue for this year's Olympic events was hit by a mudslide on Friday evening, around 6 p.m.
Vittozzi & Co.: "Only learned about the mudslide at their accommodation"
Fortunately, no people were in the affected area at that time.
Hours earlier, Italy's biathletes had trained there, including, in addition to Vittozzi, Hannah Auchenthaller, Martina Trabucchi, and Rebecca Passler, the partner of Austrian biathlete Dominic Unterweger.
"They only learned about the mudslide that evening at their accommodation," Italy's Biathlon Chief Klaus Hörrigl is quoted as saying.
Shooting range unscathed
In the Südtirol Arena, the affected areas resemble a wild mess, but the damage is limited.
Water and mud penetrated some rooms, and part of the roller ski track was covered by mud, as reported by Erika Pallhuber, General Secretary of the Antholz Biathlon Committee, to "SportNews.bz".
Fortunately, the shooting range and the rest of the competition venues remained unscathed. Nevertheless, the facility is completely closed for now.
