Alpine skiing-High winds force men's World Cup giant slalom cancellation

The opening giant slalom of the men's Alpine skiing World Cup season was cancelled on Sunday due to high winds in the Austrian resort of Soelden.

The women raced on Saturday with a giant slalom on the Rettenbach glacier but the men abandoned their efforts after 47 of 73 skiers had completed the first run.

"Due to the extreme wind and with the forecast of even increasing wind for the rest of the day, for safety and fairness reasons, it has been decided to cancel today’s Giant Slalom race in Soelden," organisers said in a statement.

Last season also started with a cancellation, that time of the women's race in Soelden due to heavy rain.

The next races on the men's World Cup calendar are downhills in Zermatt, Switzerland, on Nov 11-12.