Torah Bright's coach says Sochi 2014 halfpipe is 'retarded'

The Sochi 2014 halfpipe has come under more criticism with the brother and coach of the defending champion, Torah Bright, describing the set-up as “shit” and “fucking retarded”.

“I’ve come to the point of being diplomatic, but it’s actually very shit,” Ben Bright was quoted as saying in the Sydney Morning Herald. “It’s come down to the final hour, the final minute. The men’s contest is going live to the world and the Federation of International Skiing has let ego get in the way of a good contest. They barely got it [right] in Vancouver [at the Olympics in 2010] and they haven’t got it here. So fuck. Surprise surprise.”

Torah Bright, Australia’s biggest star at Sochi 2014, crashed during her final practice before the halfpipe competition, which takes place on Wednesday (early Thursday morning AEST). While the crash was not connected to the standard of the course, Ben Bright did say he thought the halfpipe was dangerous. “It is dangerous at the moment. You’ve got a mixed event going on – moguls and halfpipe together – so it’s fucking retarded.”

Torah Bright has also been critical of the course. “The people who are constructing the pipe aren’t the greatest at their craft and it makes it challenging for us,” she said on Tuesday. “No one is able to ride their best today. We’ve had two days of training and you can’t even link a run.”