Alpine skiing ready to go as weather conditions improve in Pyeongchang

Pyeongchang, South Korea (dpa) - Olympic action got underway in Pyeongchang on Tuesday under bright blue skies and much milder temperatures, with wind speeds also considerably lower for events in the mountain venues.Alpine skiing was set to start after two days of cancellations after the green light was given to the men‘s alpine combined event - combining downhill and slalom - at the Jeongseon alpine centre.It was one of one of eight medals events on day four, with an early gold set to come in the women‘s halfpipe in snowboard where teenager Chloe Kim of the United States was aiming to become the second 17-year-old to win a snowboard gold medal of the Games.Elsewhere, medals were up for grabs in cross-country skiing, with the men‘s and women‘s sprint classic races, mixed doubles in curling, the women‘s singles in luge, the women‘s 500 metres in short track and the men‘s 1,500m in speed skating.After temperatures dropped to well below freezing on Monday, the mercury was forecast to rise to 6 degrees plus in the Gangneung coastal venue cluster and to around freezing at the Jeongseon and Alpensia venues.