Heavy snowfall in northern Italy halts Saturday leg of Olympic flame relay

Heavy &to=http://english.pravda.ru/region/2002/10/15/38160.html' target=_blank>snowfall in northern Italy forced the cancellation of Saturday's leg in the &to=http://english.pravda.ru/sport/2001/07/09/9675.html' target=_blank>Olympic flame relay, organizers said Friday.

The flame was scheduled to pass through Livigno, Bormio, Sondrio and Lecco in the north of Italy along the border with Switzerland. Instead, weather permitting, there will be "a moment of celebration" on Saturday night in Lecco, organizers said in a statement.

Torchbearers carried the flame in snowy conditions through the Alto Adige region of Italy near the borders of Austria and Liechtenstein on Friday, but were forced to change course in the afternoon due to bad weather.