PARIS, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- A men's World Cup slalom competition in Val d'Isere, France was canceled due to strong wind gusts, the International Ski Federation (FIS) announced on Sunday.

The FIS said that the course crew had also worked through Saturday night to remove the overnight snowfall and clean the course for Sunday's event, though the strong winds ultimately forced its cancelation.

"From early morning on, gusty winds were blowing in Val d'Isere and the forecast announced an increase during the day, approximately until 15:00," said an FIS statement explaining the cancelation.

The FIS added that the chairlift transporting athletes and course workers to the top was forced to stop several times during Sunday morning, and there was no guarantee it would work during the whole day, making it impossible to stage the slalom event.

Austrian great Marcel Hirscher bagged his 60th World Cup victory in Saturday's giant slalom race.

The upcoming men's World Cup Tour will see the super-G and downhill events being held in Italy's Val Gardena on December 14 and 15.

The FIS had already moved two women's World Cup races later this month from Val d'Isere to Val Gardena. Enditem

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