updated 7:14 p.m. ET Jan. 6, 2006

BORMIO, Italy - The Italian ski team is taking advantage of its home Olympics with access to the courses in Sestriere and San Sicario.

The entire men’s and women’s teams have trained on the various courses the past few weeks.

Giorgio Rocca, who has won each of the three World Cup slalom races this season, had workers arrange the direction to his liking for a few of the lights on the slalom course. Rocca is partially color blind and the slalom race at the Olympics will be held at night.

The “Azzurri” speed teams had four days of training last week. Kristian Ghedina, Italy’s top downhiller, acknowledges that the Sestriere course does not suit his style.

“But after three days of downhill training and one day of super-G, I feel a little better about it,” Ghedina said.

Austrian media director Robert Brunner said his team had no plans to train on the Olympic hills before the games, adding “it’s supposed to be equal for everyone.”

Slide show   Week in Sports Pictures Pain on the skating rink, flying high on the hardwood, upsets on the football field, and more. more photos

The Americans also have no advance training plans.

“I’d like to but there’s no way we’ll pull that off,” star skier Daron Rahlves said. “We don’t have time and we don’t have that support. They’re going to make sure it’s exclusive for them to ski on it for home advantage.

“It’s nice for them, it’s funny how we don’t even get training on our own hills,” Rahlves added. “We can never seem to pull it off for World Cup or when we have the Olympics. It’s nice to see other nations supporting their skiers in that manner.”

Russian medals
Russia has big hopes for Turin.

Leonid Tyagachev, the Russian Olympic Committee chief, says the country is aiming for at least 25 medals, including seven golds, at the Winter Games, the daily Gazeta reported Wednesday.

ROAD TO TURIN Who's hot, who's not? Find out how Olympic hopefuls are doing leading up to Turin Getty Images

Sports Minister Vyacheslav Fetisov, the former NHL star, said Russia’s best chances are in skiing — where’s Russia’s Nordic team is strong — biathlon and figure skating, the newspaper reported.

At the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, Russia won 13 medals, including five golds, good for fifth place in the medals standings behind Norway, Germany, the United States and Canada.

MORE FROM ALPINE SKIING

Alpine skiing Section Front

Rahlves says he has ‘way more’ of life than Bode Commentary: Bode did it his way Bode ends Games with no medals Vote: What do you think of Bode's Games? Skiers top list of U.S. disappointments Celizic: America's top 10 Olympic busts Austrians' slogan: have fun while winning Celizic: U.S. did itself proud at Olympics Alpine skiing medal winners, results An inside look at alpine skiing Alpine skiing Section Front   Add Alpine skiing headlines to your news reader: