Will the Italians jump off?: New fuss about the Matterhorn descent

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The pressure on the makers of the Matterhorn descent is increasing. After all races on the “Gran Becca” had to be canceled over the past two years, ÖSV Secretary General Christian Scherer expressed his dissatisfaction with the Hahnenkamm races.

“This two-country lineage is without a doubt a very ambitious and innovative concept. Unfortunately, recent years have shown that it is difficult to implement,” says Scherer. “The saddest thing about it is that there is still no final decision on what will happen next with these races. And that blocks the planning for the next World Cup calendar.”

Scherer therefore calls for “finally concrete announcements. We are in the same dilemma as last year as the calendar is confirmed much too late.

More opponents than supporters

According to information from Blick, the next important meeting will take place the following week. Who is for, who is against? Zermatt-Cervinia and the OK around President Franz Julen are keen to continue, and Swiss Ski and FIS President Johan Eliasch are also calling for two men’s and two women’s downhills to be planned in the Matterhorn region in November next year.

But there are many more opponents than proponents. Most officials of the International Ski Association are clearly against another World Cup opportunity for Julen and Co. ÖSV downhill boss Sepp Brunner says: “With the exception of the Swiss, I don’t know any athlete who wants to return to Zermatt for World Cup races after the negative experiences of recent years.”

The question about the insurer

And although two-thirds of the route takes place on Italian soil, the leadership of the Italian association (Fisi) no longer seems to believe in the future of the project. Several independent sources confirm to Blick that the Fisi leadership is considering abandoning the two-country project.

However, Swiss Ski CEO Diegoüger states: “The management of the Italian association never informed us that they were leaving. And I assume that President Flavio Roda will keep his word.”

But despite all the optimism that the Swiss continue to show regarding the Matterhorn descent, Swiss Ski CEO Zuger also has a small reservation: “We are talking to the various stakeholders and analyzing what can be optimized for the 2024 edition . We also need to finally clarify the issue of standard insurance. In addition to us and Fisi, the FIS and local partners have also made a commitment and we are confident that the other stakeholders will also do so in the coming weeks.”

And that is why the decision on whether or not World Cup races will take place on the Matterhorn will probably not be made until March.

Source : Blick