DUSHANBE, February 24, 2014, Asia-Plus – Tajik alpine skier Alisher Qudratov together with 39 other alpine skiers failed to reach finish in the first round of men’s slalom run in Winter Olympics in Sochi on February 22 and was kept out of further competition.

According to the Winter Olympics’ official website, only 77 of 117 alpine skiers managed to finish in the first round of men’s slalom run on February 22.  

Austrian alpine skier Mario Matt, 34, won the Olympic slalom Saturday night.  Matt''s combined time of 1 minute, 41.84 seconds reportedly allowed him to edge the runner-up, Austrian teammate Marcel Hirscher, by 0.28 seconds.

The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXII Olympic Winter Games, were a major international multi-sport event held in Sochi, Russia, in the tradition of the Winter Olympic Games.  A total of 98 events in 15 winter sport disciplines were held during the Games.  A number of new competitions—a total of 12 accounting for gender—were held during the Games, including biathlon mixed relay, women''s ski jumping, mixed-team figure skating, mixed-team luge, half-pipe skiing, ski and snowboard slopestyle, and snowboard parallel slalom. The events were held around two clusters of new venues; an Olympic Park constructed in Sochi''s Imeretinsky Valley on the coast of the Black Sea, with Fisht Olympic Stadium, and the Games'' indoor venues located within walking distance, and snow events in the resort settlement of Krasnaya Polyana.

Alisher Qudratov was born in Varzob on January 11, 1986.  Qudratov was Tajikistan''s flag bearer during the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony despite not being slated to compete in the Games themselves.  He competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.  Qudratov also carried the Tajik flag during the opening ceremony in Sochi.

Meanwhile some media sources note that Tajik skiing may be beset by problems but it is still streets ahead of other winter sports in terms of development.

A group of snowboarders was reportedly created in 2012 and can now practice their sport in Tajikistan, making it the second most popular winter sport.