1.   World Cup skiing champion Luc Alphand of France retired, citing a desire to spend more time with his family.

2.   Sandra Schmitt, a freestyle skiing world champion from Germany, was among the victims of the cable car fire disaster in Austria.

3.   World Cup overall skiing champion Pernilla Wiberg of Sweden may have to miss the Winter Olympics because of two broken ribs, a newspaper reported Friday.

4.   Sergei Shupletsov, the Russian freestyle skiing champion, was killed in a road accident near here late Friday, police said.