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The skies cleared early this morning allowing training to get underway. Thanks to the hard work of the volunteers and course workers, with a pinch of salt the track was ready to be tested – same track for ladies and men.

This World Junior downhill uses the middle sections of the Olympic downhills from 2014, starting several hundred metres down the track from the men’s start with a finish above the final schuss.

Only one training run, with the first medal events of the Championships tomorrow: the downhills. All events are to be televised live to Russian TV, with top-to-bottom coverage and a on-site large screen for spectators.

This evening the Championship officially opened to a large crowd of athletes, coaches, parents and officials in the town centre of the Rosa Khutor ski resort with the usual pageantry – the Hajfell organizers passing the FIS flag on to the Sochi committee – the parade of athletes and customary speeches – all kept to a very tight timeline out of consideration to the athletes who have a very busy 10 days of racing ahead.

Tomorrow morning, 9:00 am sharp the first athlete leaves the start.

Sochi is GMT+3 or two hours ahead of central Europe.