If Lindsey Vonn is cleared to race the men's World Cup downhill at Lake Louise it would give the sport a huge boost, but the American should reconsider loftier plans to tackle Kitzbuehel, the head of Alpine Canada said Tuesday.
A four-time overall World Cup champion, Vonn set the ski racing world abuzz earlier this month when she petitioned the International Ski Federation to let her race in the men's season-opening downhill on Nov. 24 in the Canadian Rockies.
"It would be great for the sport," Alpine Canada president Max Gartner said Tuesday. "That is what the sport needs, stories that are bigger than the sport itself."
But before Vonn can have her name added to the start list there are several technical issues that must be resolved.
Vonn has stated she will only take part in the men's race if she is allowed to compete in the women's downhill season-opener the following weekend on what is essentially the same course. Under FIS rules, however, no racer is allowed to ski on a race course a week prior to their own competition.
In a compromise, Vonn has reportedly offered to forgo two training runs for the women's race as a way of evening out the playing field if she can compete in both events.
The FIS Council is expected to make a decision at its next meeting on Nov. 3-4 in Switzerland.
"You can work around those things," said Gartner. "There has got to be a bit of give and take."
Vonn has had a long-running love affair with Lake Louise, having recorded 11 wins and a staggering 17 podium finishes on the undulating layout tucked away in the wilderness of Banff National Park.
