Alpine Skiing Competition of the Winter Olympics

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PLACID JAN Olympics 84 ÚSA 20c 1984 ellesse 12946 SARAJEYO8A KITZBUHT 31LVY I o1 CARI 15 KUONI 52 IVECO LHVIGN 52 Robert Galdsmith LAKE

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The alpine skiing competition of the Winter Olympics consists of three different events — slalom, giant slalom and downhill. Of these events, downhill is ultimately the most dangerous and exciting. In contrast to the slalom events — where athletes must ski at more moder- ate speeds in order to maneuver through obstacles — there are no obstacles which must be avoided during the downhill race. As a result, the average racing speed of a downhill skier is usually over fifty miles per hour, with top speeds approaching one hundred miles per hour. Because of the break-neck speeds involved in this event, downhill skiing is perhaps the most dangerous of all events in the Winter Olympic Games. This hazardous event joined the Winter Olympics in 1948 when the Olympics were held in the Swiss Alps surrounding St. Moritz, Switzerland. To honor this world-class sports event which will soon take place at the 1984 Winter Olympics, the United States Postal Service issued the No. 84-3 ©1984 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation • Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 Original painting by Robert Goldsmith.