2014 Sochi Winter Olympics Events - Alpine Skiing
Alpine skiing
The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics Alpine skiing competition was held from February 8 to 21. This competition has ten events: men's and women's downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom and all-around (downhill/slalom).
Introduction to Alpine Skiing
Alpine skiing originated in the Alps of Northern Europe, so it is also called Alpine skiing. Alpine skiing was gradually formed on the basis of cross-country skiing.
In 1850, the rotating action of changing direction and stopping the slide appeared in Telemark County, Norway. In 1868, Nordheim, the founder of Norwegian skiing, and others performed side sliding and S-shaped rapid descent techniques at the Oslo Skiing Conference. In 1890, Matthias Zdarsky of Austria invented short skis and sliding techniques suitable for the characteristics of the Alps. In 1905, he performed the first slalom obstacle descent in the history of alpine skiing in Lilienfeld, south of Vienna.
In 1907, the British Alpine Ski Club was founded, which was the world's first alpine skiing organization. In 1910, Colonel Georg Bilgeri of Austria organized a military alpine skiing school, the first to use the squatting posture with two poles to quickly descend and brake the turn. In 1921, Arnold Lunn of Britain organized the first slalom and downhill competitions in the history of alpine skiing in Switzerland. In 1922, Hannas Schneider of Austria founded the Alpine Skiing School.
The World Alpine Skiing Championships were held in 1931. It has been listed as a Winter Olympic event since 1936. Athletes hold ski poles and ski on skis to quickly turn and descend from the high slope. Each association is limited to 4 people for each event. The competition adopts a single start and the order is drawn by lot. The Winter Olympics now have men's and women's all-around (included in 1936), downhill (included in 1948), slalom (included in 1948), giant slalom (included in 1952) and super-G (included in 1988).
Alpine Skiing
Alpine Skiing Competition Rules
In alpine skiing competitions, athletes can ski at speeds exceeding 130 kilometers per hour, and the vertical height difference between the starting and ending points of different events is also different: downhill men are 800 to 1,100 meters, women are 500 to 800 meters; slalom men are 180 to 220 meters, women are 140 to 200 meters; giant slalom men are 250 to 450 meters, women are 250 to 400 meters; super-G slalom men are 500 to 650 meters, women are 400 to 600 meters.
These vertical height differences make the competition more difficult, because the athletes need to pass through a series of gates set on the sliding route while sliding down. If a player misses a gate, he must go back and pass through the missed gate again, otherwise he will be disqualified.
Each event of alpine skiing uses a single start, and the order of departure is determined by drawing lots, but some events require two skis, and the order of the second start is determined by the results of the first competition. The interval between starts is generally 60 seconds, and only the slalom event uses unequal start times. When starting, athletes must wear sportswear with official lead seals (that is, clothing inspected and approved by the referee), wear starting number cloths, wear helmets, wear skis, hold ski poles, and must use detachable bindings.
Downhill
The height difference between the starting and ending points of the downhill venue is 800 to 1,100 meters for men and 500 to 800 meters for women. It is the longest route and the fastest sliding speed among all events.
The design of the route length should ensure that the best time for men in the Winter Olympics and the World Championships is no less than 2 minutes, and the best time for women is no less than 1 minute and 40 seconds. In order to ensure the safety of the competition, in addition to inserting enough red and green flags on both sides of the route, flag gates must be set up in important areas (such as dangerous areas, slope conversion and bumpy areas, transition points, and areas where athletes are prone to slide in the wrong direction). The width of the flag gate shall not be less than 8 meters. Athletes must use at least the front end of one ski and both feet to pass the flag gate line to pass the flag gate correctly. If the height difference between the starting point and the end point of the venue does not meet the requirements of the rules, a two-round downhill competition can be organized (but the minimum height difference shall not be less than 450 meters). The results of the two rounds of competition are added together, and the one with the shorter time will be ranked first.
Super-G
The venue for the super-G is required to be undulating terrain. The width shall not be less than 30 meters. The height difference between the starting point and the end point is 500-650 meters for men and 350-500 meters for women. The width of the gates is at least 6 meters for open gates and 8 to 12 meters for closed gates. The number of gates shall not exceed 10% of the height difference, but shall not be less than 35 for men and 30 for women.
Giant Slalom
The venue for the giant slalom competition is usually multi-slope and wavy, with a width of at least 30 meters. The height difference between the starting point and the end point is 350 to 400 meters for men and 260 to 350 meters for women. The number of gates should be 12 to 15% of the height difference. The gate width is 4 to 8 meters. The minimum distance between the gate poles of the two consecutive gates shall not be less than 10 meters. The giant slalom competition generally requires two rounds of skating. The second round of skating can be carried out at the same venue, but the gates must be reset. The results of the two rounds of skating are added together, and the one with the shorter time will be ranked first.
Slalom
The venue for the slalom competition should be built on a hillside with a slope of 20 to 27 degrees. The width of the venue shall not be less than 40 meters. The height difference between the starting point and the end point is 140 meters to 220 meters for men and 120 meters to 180 meters for women. There are 55 to 75 gates for men and 45 to 60 for women. Each gate consists of two flags and two flagpoles. Red and blue gates should be placed alternately. The size of the flag is 24X22 cm. The minimum distance between two gates shall not be less than 0.75 meters. The width of the gate is 4 to 6 meters. The gate setting should include open gates (the line connecting the two gate poles is perpendicular to the direction of the route), closed gates (the line connecting the two gate poles is parallel to the direction of the route) and 1 to 4 gate groups consisting of 3 to 4 gates, such as serpentine gates, spiral gates, triangular gates and diamond gates. The results of the slalom competition are the sum of the results of sliding once on two different routes, and the one with the shorter time will be ranked first.
All-around
The all-around includes downhill and slalom. The two competitions are added together, and the one with the shorter time will be ranked first.