By Anna Thompson BBC Sport at the Winter Olympics

Alcott will have plenty of supporters in Italy

It will not be difficult to spot Chemmy Alcott's supporters at the Winter Olympics.

For the British skier's fan club have had hooded sweatshirts specially made with her face painted on the back.

The 23-year-old will be competing in the downhill, super-G, giant slalom and combined events in Turin and her parents and her two brothers will be there to watch her compete.

And the British ski pin-up told BBC Sport: "I've got lots of family and friends coming and it would be difficult for them to recognise each other on the slopes as some have never met or spoken to one another, so we came up with this idea.

"I've been selling them as well so there should be quite a few hoodies at my events."

This is Alcott's second Winter Games and she is enjoying staying in the athletes' village in the mountain resort of Sestriere.

However, it did take her seven hours to drive from another part of Italy - a journey which should have taken less than four.

"I was excited when I saw the welcome to Turin 2006 signs but that soon went as we crawled along the motorway," she said.

"I had heard a few horror stories about the accommodation too, before I came, but I think it's nice and it is great you can meet up and catch up with friends from other nations you have not seen for ages.

"There's a disco too, and I love dancing.

Maximus was aggressive and focused and that's how I need to be Chemmy Alcott

"We stayed in a ski house at the last Games and it didn't feel as though we were at an Olympics because we were isolated. Here it feels much more like it."

Alcott has been strong in the super-G in this season's World Cup races - with three top-20 results but she says downhill training has been going well too at the holding camp in Bormio, Italy.

"I had a training session with the Canadian and German girls which was really good fun because normally I train on my own," she added.

"And in the last couple of days I've been putting things together in the downhill," she said ahead of Wednesday's downhill event.

She will also use unusual props to motivate herself out of the start gate.

Alcott hates pigeons, so to work herself up she thinks about them and skiing away from them as quickly as she can.

"I also think about Maximus (Russell Crowe in Gladiator) as he headed to the arena. He was aggressive and focused and that's how I need to be."