1.   Except for Alberto Tomba, the Italian ski star and perpetual frat boy, the familiar champions are gone from the Winter Olympics.

2.   The Japanese Alps are covered in snow and the pasta has been flown in for the Italian ski team.

3.   A faulty clock helped Italian ski superstar Alberto Tomba finish third in his farewell race at Sestriere last month, organizers and timekeepers said Friday.

4.   A dream is coming true for Alberto Tomba, the Italian ski hero who announced Tuesday that he will be starring as an actor in a television action series.

5.   A prosecutor on Friday asked for the indictment of Italian ski star Alberto Tomba and his parents on charges of tax fraud, the ANSA news agency said.

6.   A ski course under preparation in Val di Fassa will be named after Italian ski star Alberto Tomba.

7.   Bibiana Perez, one of the best downhillers of the Italian Alpine ski team, suffered a concussion when she crashed during a training run at Cortina Monday.

8.   Compagnoni is the soft-spoken daughter of a hotel owner in an Italian ski resort.

9.   Deborah Compagnoni on the chance of surpassing Alberto Tomba as an Italian ski legend.

10.   Following her first ever World Cup victory, Lara Magoni on Sunday captured her first slalom title at the Italian Alpine ski Championships.