Ledecka says 2026 Winter Olympic schedule will hurt her medal hopes / Photo: © AFP
-
Corruption probe targets Brazil presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro
-
Antonelli on top ahead of Ferraris in Madrid practice
-
New No.1 Rybakina out to thwart Sabalenka US Open three-peat bid
-
Dance Fitness Tempe Announces Expansion of Accessible Digital Movement Programs
-
US marks 25th anniversary of 9/11 attacks
-
Nashville airport to be renamed after Dolly Parton
-
'That's why we fight': Trump links 9/11 to Iran conflict
-
Argentina's Dirty War rears its head in Venice film
-
Europe saw record summer air traffic despite Mideast war: Eurocontrol
-
'Whatever we do is political' says Iranian director Asgari at Venice
-
De Zerbi coy over unsettled Richarlison's Spurs future
-
UK lawmakers throw out bill to legalise assisted dying
-
Brazil president candidate Flavio Bolsonaro targeted in corruption probe
-
Relatives of 9/11 victims hit out at Saudi Arabia -- and US leaders
-
England dismiss Pakistan's Masood to close on victory in 3rd Test
-
Egyptian teenager Abdelkarim to extend Barca deal to 2030
-
Oil prices, US inflation stoke Fed hike worries
-
Macau to hold closed-door trial in first national security case
-
Free-scoring Chelsea must tighten up, says Alonso
-
Philippines recovers 30 bodies from ferry after blaze
-
US inflation steady in August, fueling Fed rate hike expectations
-
Relative of 9/11 victim unleashes searing attack on Saudi Arabia
-
United boss Carrick dismisses Anderson's 'kings of Manchester' jibe
-
Russell edges Antonelli in accident-free opening practice in Madrid
-
New York marks 25th anniversary of 9/11 attacks
-
Sweden's outgoing PM wants to 'make Sweden great again'
-
Yemen's Houthis take over strait vital to global shipping
-
Fenced off: Thailand builds border wall after Cambodia clashes
-
Russia rolls out long-delayed 5G, but not for iPhones
-
Pakistan's Masood frustrates England's victory push in 3rd Test
-
DR Congo Ebola outbreak spreads to 7th province
-
Revitalised Isak in a 'good place' at Liverpool: Iraola
-
Turning up the heat: Arteta reveals 'challenges' for Arsenal stars
-
Arsenal boss Arteta 'very surprised' at Jesus blast over Barcelona move
-
F2 crash in Madrid underlines fears over 'riskiest track'
-
Czech antitrust office lets Turkey's Pegasus Airlines buy Smartwings
-
Nepal flood reconstruction bill to be $4.78 bn: foreign ministry
-
Maresca says spotlight not on him ahead of Manchester derby
-
Investors on edge as energy costs, surging bond yields roil markets
-
Philippine Coast Guard finds bodies aboard ferry after blaze
-
JUMO and Standard Bank launch Social Finance Framework to scale inclusive finance in Africa
-
UK lawmakers to vote again on failed assisted dying bill
-
Doomsday tech: could AI really kill us all?
-
India welcomes Russia, Iran leaders for BRICS summit overshadowed by war
-
Yemen's Houthis complete takeover of Bab al-Mandab area: govt official to AFP
-
Italian feminist fighter Emma Bonino dies
-
Toronto film festival kicks off with ode to political activism
-
White blazers, pink ties as North Koreans land in Japan for Asian Games
-
French comedy show 'Call my agent' makes film comeback
-
Stocks tumble as oil and inflation worries fan rate hike bets
Ledecka says 2026 Winter Olympic schedule will hurt her medal hopes
Czech snowboarder and alpine skier Ester Ledecka, a three-time Olympic champion, on Saturday slammed the 2026 Winter Games schedule which she says will not allow her to compete in all her sports.
The 29-year-old stunned her rivals by winning the alpine skiing super-G and the snowboarding parallel giant slalom in the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
Ledecka, who also won the parallel giant slalom at Beijing 2022, has since won two Alpine skiing World Cup races in super-G and two in the downhill.
But the organisers of the next Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo have scheduled the snowboarding parallel giant slalom for the same time as the downhill.
"I'm terribly sad to be frank," Ledecka told the public Czech TV about the timetable clash on February 8, 2026.
"I don't know if I have the power to change it," Ledecka said, speaking from Mylin, China where she stormed to a win in the season-opening snowboarding parallel giant slalom on Saturday.
She said she would call on her friends, sponsors and sports associations to exert pressure on the organisers to change the schedule.
"There are not many athletes at the Winter Olympics who do two sports -- I guess I'm the only one, so they don't really reckon with it I suppose," she said.
"It hurts but I'm not sure if I can change this in any way."
O.Schlaepfer--VB