Winter Games open tonight

A giant cast of New Zealand and international snow sport athletes will contest the inaugural Winter Games which open in Queenstown tonight.

Forty nations, 800 athletes, 400 volunteers, 220 media, 34 events, 15 sports will be represented for 10 days around Otago in easily the biggest of its kind in this country.

The event has attracted Olympic medallists, X Games medallists, World Cup winners and world championship medallists.

Competition begins tomorrow at The Remarkables with the freeski slopestyle and continues through the week with snowboarding, cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, freeskiing, curling, ice hockey, figure skating, winter triathlon and natural luge.

A highlight will be the FIS World Cup halfpipe round on Wednesday.

- NZPA