ANTERSELVA, ITALY, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Italy's diehard biathlon fans were up before dawn in freezing temperatures on Sunday ahead of the first competition, but these hardships were shrugged off when the sun came out and the Olympics arrived in Anterselva in the far north of the country.
Fans were seen queuing an hour before the gates opened just after 10 a.m., four hours ahead of the start of the mixed relay, and they poured into the arena to the soundtrack of a band of around two dozen enthusiastic, red-clad drummers.
"It's wonderful, it's our first time in the Olympic Games. We live near Trento, so we are very happy to have the Olympic Games at home, and the weather is perfect, this is really a great day," Italian fan Lorenzo Cortelletti told Reuters.
Cortelletti and his two companions rose at 5 a.m. to make the 160km journey to the Antholz-Anterselva Biathlon Arena, but they showed no signs of fatigue as they waited for their friends.
The morning temperature of around -8 Celsius (17.6 Fahrenheit) quickly rose as the mist disappeared and sunshine bathed the jagged peaks of the Dolomites, and the party atmosphere was palpable as the fans began to enter the grandstand for the long wait for the action to begin.
Italy's north-south divide is keenly felt in the South Tyrol region, where more than half the population speak German as their first language and biathlon edges Alpine skiing as the preferred winter sport of many.
That said, Cortellettisaid he and his friends would pass the hours until the relay start by watching the women's downhill, which was being shown on the big screens at the biathlon venue. When asked how he might celebrate an Italian biathlon gold, his face cracked into a broad smile.
"With a beer, with many beers and many friends. We are together with all the people here, it's very good to be here together with people from countries all over the world, it's wonderful," he said.
(Reporting by Philip O'ConnorEditing by Christian Radnedge)
