Olympics Schedule Clash Leaves Top Freeskier Feeling Short‑Spoken

Eileen Gu Faces Scheduling Clash at Milan Cortina Games

Eileen Gu, the 22‑year‑old Chinese athlete who captured silver in slopestyle earlier this week, voiced her disappointment after the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) refused to adjust her training timetable for the halfpipe event.

Triple Threat – Gu is the only woman competing in all three freestyle disciplines—slopestyle, halfpipe and big air—at the Milan Cortina Games.
Schedule Conflict – The final for big air on Monday overlapped with the first of three halfpipe training sessions that were slated for later in the week.
Request for Fairness – Gu asked FIS for equal practice time, not special treatment, and even offered to train with the snowboarders on the halfpipe as a compromise.
FIS Response – The federation replied that altering the schedule for one athlete would be unfair to everyone else and declined her request.
Gu’s Statement – “I’m disappointed in FIS,” she said, adding that the Olympics should celebrate ambition rather than penalize it.
Training Blocks – FIS’s schedule gives three training blocks before qualifying, compared to two in a normal World Cup event. A spokesperson explained that conflicts are sometimes unavoidable for athletes who compete across multiple disciplines.
Other Athletes – Earlier in the Games, Czech rider Ester Ledecka chose to snowboard instead of ski a downhill event that was five hours away, finishing fifth in snowboarding but crashing in the super‑G.
Gu’s Background – She has not skied a halfpipe since December’s World Cup and hasn’t competed in big air since her 2018 Beijing gold, though she still feels confident.
Halfpipe Challenge – Gu described halfpipe as a distinct challenge, comparing it to the difference between sprinting and running a marathon.
Last Olympics – Her slopestyle run ended just before halfpipe training began; this year the schedule almost forced a similar conflict.
Big Air Resilience – After falling in her second big air qualifier, she made a decisive final jump to reach the final, mirroring her earlier slopestyle experience.
Upcoming Events – Gu’s remaining halfpipe events—qualifiers on Thursday and the final on Saturday—will require her to perform under tight time constraints.
Conclusion – She believes this scheduling inequity punishes athletes who strive for excellence by forcing them to compromise training.

Actions