Sawt Falasteen - Ski federation 'concerned' about Olympics snowboarding site delays

Livigno, in northern Italy, is scheduled to hold events for 26 gold medals during the Games, which run between February 6 and 22, but it is facing problems with its artificial snow system.

"Apparently, the hillside reservoir is completed but they haven't received the permits to fill the lake yet," FIS Secretary General Michel Vion told AFP this week.

"A reservoir without water is quite problematic.

"We are still a bit concerned because the need for snow is significant for these disciplines.

"If we want to ensure proper Games, we need not only natural snow but also artificial snow to consolidate the snow, making it more compact and humid.

"We are a bit worried, we are putting pressure (on the organisers), but in the end, they will deliver," Vion added.

The company behind the Olympics' building works, SiMiCo, said the use of snow canons, a key part of the system, will begin next week.

"The low temperatures in Livigno mean we are in a state of calm," SiMiCo general manager Fabio Massimo Saldini told AFP.

"There will absolutely be no problem," he insisted.

On Tuesday, the Olympic Games' executive director, Christophe Dubi, attempted to calm Vion's worries.

"There's pressure whatever happens," he told reporters on a visit to the French Alps.

"In Livigno, the permits should be in place, but they aren't.

"So we're going to have a snow production schedule, particularly for the eastern side of Livigno, which is admittedly a bit tight.

"But it will get done," he added.

I.Matar--SF-PST