While Olympic athletes skate, ski and slide over ice, other Olympic competitors will be carving it.

NuSkin International is hosting the Olympic World of Ice, an exhibit as part of the Cultural Olympiad.

Tesla Welch, NuSkin spokeswoman, said the World of Ice will feature enormous sculptures representing the regions of the world.

Giant boxing kangaroos represent Australia; The statue of liberty represents North America; The Eiffel Tower represents Europe; a giant Chinese dragon represents Asia; a safari scene represents Africa.

"You can take a walk through the world," Welch said.

The World of Ice also features free public ice skating, various entertainment every day, international food vendors and a jumbo screen displaying NBC's coverage of the Olympic Games.

Welch encourages even the biggest Olympic-avoiders to come downtown for the free event.

"If you have the Olympic games this close and you don't do anything to participate in it, you'll regret it for the rest of your life," Welch said. "It's worth a memory in the scrapbook."

In conjunction with NuSkin's World of Ice, Provo City is hosting an ice-carving contest as part of the Cultural Olympiad.

According to Susan Sorenson, a member of Provo's ice carving committee, 30 international teams of ice carvers will compete for 20 hours, using 3000 pounds of ice. Carvers will begin at 3:45 p.m. on Feb. 15 and work through the night, finishing at 10 a.m. on Feb. 16.

Sorenson said the National Ice Carving Association will judge the ice sculptures, and award gold, silver and bronze medals to the winners.

Welch said "It's one of few cultural Olympiad events that are medaled."

It's also one of few Olympic events that are free.

Copyright Brigham Young University 5 Feb 2002