Italy chief expects surprise results at Games

London: The Vancouver Winter Games could produce some surprise results because of the extra pressure they will generate, Italy`s Olympic chief Gianni Petrucci said on Sunday.

"You can`t say what will happen, the Olympics are a completely separate thing. There is a different pressure," Petrucci told Reuters at a women`s World Cup giant slalom race in Cortina won by Finn Tanja Poutiainen. American Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn looks odds-on for Games glory next month, having won all five downhills in this season`s World Cup, but the one-off nature of Olympic competition has sometimes led to favourites buckling under the strain. Despite a strong winter sports tradition, Italy could struggle to take a single gold in the Feb. 12-28 Games with even European figure skating champion Carolina Kostner by no means guaranteed a medal given her inconsistent form. Italy`s standing in women`s skiing is at a particularly low ebb, with male slalom specialists like Massimiliano Blardone and Manfred Moelgg better-placed for success at the Vancouver ski events in Whistler. "Our prospects for the Olympics are good, really they are good. At this moment our male skiers are stronger but at an Olympics, everyone starts from zero," Petrucci said at the picturesque Cortina piste where Italy`s women failed to make the podium. "This is not the Olympic course, it is not necessarily a launchpad for the Olympics. It`s the same for us and it`s the same for everyone. It would not be an advantage for the Olympics winning today, so everything is still open." Petrucci, whose Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) is one of the most hands-on in the world in charge of everything from dope tests to infrastructure, does not believe the domination of twice World Cup winner Vonn is damaging women`s skiing. "I don`t wish for the defeat of others, I just hope that ours win," he chuckled. Bureau Report