IOC chief says no worries as Vancouver readies for winter Olympics

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Work continued around the clock to get the snow-starved Cypress Mountain venue north of Vancouver in shape for the start of the freestyle skiing and snowboard events.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge, who was briefed Monday on the state of the planning, said he was not worried that events could be disrupted.

"We have absolutely no concern whatsoever," Rogge told reporters here.

"Our technicians together with technicians of the international ski federation went and had a look there. We had a good meeting with the organising committee. There is no concern and there is no plan B."

Organisers were still using helicopters and trucks to dump and ferry snow at the venue which on Saturday will see its first medal event, the women's moguls.

Temperatures are expected to remain about 3 degrees Celsius at Cypress with a 60 percent chance of rain forecast for Saturday.

Rain is also forecast for the weekend at Whistler Mountains, which unlike Cypress has enjoyed enough snow, and where coaches were able to inspect the slopes ahead of men's alpine ski downhill training on Wednesday.

International ski federation FIS race director Guenter Hujara said the course was "worthy of an Olympics with all the challenges a downhill should have" but competitors will have to adjust to changing conditions.

"The course has three parts - winter at the top, late winter in the middle and spring at the bottom," he said.

The organising committee meanwhile revealed that Arnold Schwarzenegger will hand the Olympic torch to former Olympic champion Sebastian Coe when the flame homes in on Vancouver Friday.

The California governor and the two-time Olympic gold medallist runner, now London 2012 chairman, join several big-name Canadians at the end of the 106-day relay including Walter Gretzky, the father of hockey great Wayne Gretzky, astronaut Julie Payette and former hockey player Richard Brodeur.

"Clearly we want to have a big finish," said John Furlong, chief executive of the Vancouver organising committee.

Organisers are giving nothing away on who will actually light the cauldron at the opening ceremony Friday evening in BC Place stadium, although Wayne Gretzky himself is seen as a candidate.

The torch relay and opening ceremony will coincide with an anti-Olympics rally in Vancouver at which police are expecting some 1,500 protesters.

However Rogge said: "For us it is not an issue. We accept the protest. We accept people protesting. It is a democratic freedom of expression. What we want is no violence and we want people to respect the laws of the country and then there is no problem."

Meanwhile the IOC president said he expected Russian authorities to take strong action on doping after a reported 11 athletes failed doping tests in 2009.

Rogge said he had met Russian President Dmitry Medvedev as well as the country's minister of sport to highlight the IOC's concerns ahead of the Games.

"We have been alerted by the number of positive cases," Rogge said.

"I had a meeting with the minister of sport of Russia. I alerted him. He said to us he would do everything in his power to improve the situation.

"I also had a meeting with the president of the Russian federation Mr Dimitry Medvedev and I insisted on the need to have strong action on doping."

--IANS