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It is yet another setback that the creators of the Matterhorn descent have to accept: At the international downhill meeting in Kvitfjell last Thursday evening, the vast majority spoke out against the start of the Speed World Cup in Zermatt. Instead, most athletes are calling for the first downhill race of the coming season to be held in North America.
Injured Norwegian superstar Aleksander Aamodt Kilde spoke out about this in an interview with Blick in November: “It has been the case for years that most teams only find really good conditions for speed training in the US or Canada from mid-November. That is why it is dangerous , especially for young, inexperienced athletes, to plan a race in Zermatt-Cervinia before this important training block. Instead, you should be able to combine training and the first race in North America.”
Discord in Canada
But in which station? The “Birds of Prey” in Beaver Creek is considered an inappropriate opening run by decision makers because the “Birds of Prey” slope in Colorado is extremely selective. To get into the rhythm, the downhillers would like to be served something easily digestible at the beginning of winter, as they received in Lake Louise, Canada until November 2022. But the station in Alberta National Park has been removed from the World Cup calendar for financial reasons.
According to information from Blick, the legendary Crazy Canuck Ken Read (68, winner of Kitzbühel and Wengen in 1980) has now found business people who would invest in World Cup races in Lake Louise. However, Canadian federation president Therese Brisson has a different plan: the former ice hockey world champion would like to organize a downhill and a super-G in Panorama in the future. But the British Columbia route was deemed too easy by the FIS. There is also a shortage of hotel beds in Panorama.
Americans could inherit
Due to the disagreement in Canada, the International Ski Association is discussing a World Cup alternative in the US. We’re talking about Copper Mountain. The test station, located 52 kilometers from Beaver Creek, has been offering the World Cup stars optimal conditions for the sessions for several years with a permanent training program. However, the route contains too few highlights for a World Cup descent. However, Copper Mountain could host a Super-G and a giant slalom.
Another question arises: how much weight is actually given to the athletes’ opinions in the implementation of the World Cup calendar? The fact is: the first team combination was to be held in Kitzbühel this season, but because the majority of drivers spoke out against this, the premiere in September was canceled.
Athlete spokesperson Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen (Nor, 36) will present the results of the downhill skier summit in Kvitfjell in June to the board during the next FIS Congress in June in the Icelandic capital Reykjavik. In the case of Zermatt-Cervinia, a removal may not be so easy as FIS president Johan Eliasch has signed a contract with OK boss Franz Julen.
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
