ROADS and Maritime Services have told the organisers of the Hawkesbury 120 ski race that the race cannot be hosted over the weekend of August 29 and 30.
The Warragamba Dam was expected to spill sometime on the morning of August 27.
The spill would have caused the level of the Hawkesbury River to rise and cause debris to be in the river, which would have proved quite hazardous to the ski racers, who can reach speeds of up to 120 miles per hour.
Ski Racing NSW committee member Andrew Fyfe said it was disappointing the race had to be postponed, but said Ski Racing NSW had a duty of care for people in the race.
"The fear is there will be a release of water, either controlled or naturally, which will mean the river rises and there will be a lot of debris," he said.
"If you are towing skiers with logs and debris it is just too dangerous.
"It is a duty of care that we have with our members and we agree with the decision."
Mr Fyfe said RMS called the organisers at about 5pm on Wednesday afternoon to inform them the race had to be postponed.
He said the organising committee had a quick meeting afterwards to examine alternative dates, but said it would take about a week to confirm new arrangements.
"We have people coming from all over Australia so we can't just say we'll run the race in a week," he said.
"There are a lot of practicalities that go with making the decision.
"We expect it [the decision] to take a week. The race will be re-run, we just aren't quite sure when."
The edition of the Hawkesbury Courier, which was published on August 27, had a story about the race being on.
The call to cancel the race came well after the print deadline for the Hawkesbury Courier, and nothing could have been done to correct the story.
