Finishing touches are being made to the famous Bergisel ski jump in Innsbruck -- destined to the show piece of the Winter Olympic Games in the Austrian city in February next year.
The special jumping on the Bergisel jump in likely to be the main attraction for spectators -- as it was in 1964 when the Olympics were also staged in Innsbruck.
The jump itself dominates the city's landscape. It will be the site for the Olympics flame and it is likely that people, with the aid of binoculars, will be able to see the jumping form as far away as Maria-Theresien Strasse, the historical city's main street.
The Bergisel jump is one of the world's oldest and certainly one of the best. It has proved its worth in countless big events, as in the 1933 world skiing championships, at big jumping competitions before World War Two, in Intersport jumping tournaments and at the ninth Winter Olympics in 1964.
The Bergisel which went down in history in 1809 in the Tyrolean struggles for liberation has been serving peaceful purposes since 1928 with the ski stadium and has certainly contributed to making Innsbruck well-known throughout the world as a winter sports town.
The jump has been modified again for the fifth time in its history. In 1969 an attractive spectators' area for 60,000 people was formed. This remains today. For 1976, the jump has been enlarged form an average of 81 metres to 86 metres.
Earth depositing work and more recently snow depositing and stabilising, has been carried out by the Austrian armed forces. The local fire brigade regularly sprays the jump with water to keep the surface frozen and ready for practice.
The jump -- and other Olympic facilities in Innsbruck -- are ready for the influx of spectators and competitors. But there could be one draw-back. Over the last few years the snow level has been dwindling in Innsbruck and officials are concerned that there will not be enough for the Olympics. Hence, alternative plans have been made if Mother Nature doesn't oblige to bring in loads of snow from other areas.
SYNOPSIS: May be the position of the cemetery at the foot of Innsbruck's famous Bergisel ski jump is just a coincidence, but it is sure to deter beginners from making the plunge. It is here that thousand of competitors and spectators will arrive in February for the second Winter Olympics this Austrian city has hosted.
The Bergisel ski jump is destined to be the show piece and heart of the Olympics. It dominates the skyline of the historical city of Innsbruck and has certainly contributed to the city's international reputation as a winter sports town. The local fire brigade regularly sprays its surface to keep it frozen and ready for practice jumps.
The Austrian army has also been called in to help in the all out effort to have facilities ready in time. Troops have been deployed to stabilise the earth and snow around the Bergisel.
But before the success of the Winter Olympics are assured, officials have one major problem to solve. Dwindling snow levels in Innsbruck in the last few years indicate that there might not be enough of the vital ingredient before February. Arrangements are being made to import snow just in case Mother Nature doesn't oblige.