FIS News In Brief - Week 3 April 18

Georgian Ski Federation elections

The Georgian Ski Federation recently held its General Assembly and reported that the entire board was re-elected by its members including its President, Zurab Kostava

Nordic Combined and Ski Jumping hold Spring Meetings in Zurich

Ski Jumping:

Like every year, the provisional competition calendars for the upcoming summer and winter season were presented at the FIS Sub Committee meetings in Zurich (SUI).

These calendars remain subject to change until they are officially confirmed by the FIS Council on proposal of the Ski Jumping Committee that both convene during the FIS Congress mid-May in Costa Navarino (GRE).

Ladies' and Men's tours together more

The FIS Ski Jumping Grand Prix 2018 starts with a team event in Wisla (POL) on 21st July, followed by an individual competition on the Adam-Malysz-hill a day later.

A week later men's and ladies' competition will be held in Hinterzarten (GER). The series then continues early August in Courchevel (FRA), where up to 20,000 spectators are expected for the first ever mixed team competition on a large hill.

After stops in Hakuba (JPN), Chaikovsky (RUS) and Rasnov (ROU), the FIS Grand Prix then concludes with competitions in Liberec (CZE), Hinzenbach (AUT) and Klingenthal (GER), where the final events of the men and ladies will take place in the Vogtland-Arena on 3rd October 2018.

World Cup opening again in Wisla

The biggest news with the Ski Jumping calendar is the harmonization between the ladies’ and the mne’s tours. The ladies can look forward to more large hill competitions next winter. For the first time, there will also be a Raw Air tour for the ladies. The season starts late November/early December with the Lillehammer Triple, the World Cup final is then held on the large hill in Chaikovsky (RUS) late March.

Like last winter, the men's FIS Ski Jumping World Cup presented by Viessmann opening 2018/19 will be held in Wisla mid-November. The first ever mixed team competition on the large hill in the World Cup will take place in Titisee-Neustadt (GER) mid-December.

As always, the first big highlight of the winter is the 4-Hills-Tournament around New Year's. The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Seefeld then follow from 19th February – 3rd March, before the second edition of the Willingen 5.

The season then again ends with the RAW AIR in Norway and the big finals in Planica (SLO). The hills in Trondheim, Lillehammer, and Vikersund still need to obtain a valid hill certificate until the Ski Jumping Committee meets during the FIS Congress in order to remain on the calendar.

Nordic Combined:

The Nordic Combined Technical Committee Meetings at the Hilton Airport Zürich wrapped up the past season and looked ahead to the future. All preliminary calendars are still subject to change and are subject to the approval of the FIS Council in Costa Navarino in May.

The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Seefeld (AUT) will be the big highlight of the season, and the opportunity to extend the athletes’ medal collections, together with the FIS Junior World Championships in Finland,.

Summer Grand Prix 2018

The Summer Grand Prix will have a men’s and ladies’ calendar for the first time with a shared opening event in Oberwiesenthal (GER). The men will continue to an Austrian venue and then to Oberstdorf, traditionally a shared event with the FIS Youth Cup. As last year, a weekend in Planica in late September will close out the summer season.

World Cup 2018/19

The FIS Nordic Combined World Cup presented by Viessmann 2018/2019 also promises to be exciting. The athletes will compete in nine events before Christmas. While the season opening stays in Ruka (FIN) the tour weekend has moved to Lillehammer this year. The tour will feature three events, with a revised concept and competition programme featuring the mass start return to World Cup.

Otepää, Estonia will feature again on the 2018/19 calendar and open the year 2019 with two Individual Gundersen events. Two hard three-event weekends will await the athletes next: the traditional long weekend in Val di Fiemme first, followed by the Nordic Combined Triple held for the first time in Chaux-Neuve (FRA), since Seefeld is hosting the World Championships.

The third period opens with a trip to Sapporo (JPN), which promises to be extra special in view of Akito Watabe winning the FIS Nordic Combined World Cup overall title in 2018. Klingenthal (GER) and Lahti (FIN) then follow and after the World Championships in Austria, three more World Cup events will wrap up the season in Oslo (NOR) with all Nordic disciplines and Schonach (GER) in March.

Continental Cups and Youth Cup

Both Continental Cup calendars, for ladies and for men, as well as the FIS Youth Cup calendar will be presented to the Nordic Combined Committee during the FIS Congress in Costa Navarino next month.

New World Record in 24 hour Cross Country Skiing

Hans Mäenpää (FIN) is the new world record holder in 24-hour cross-country skiing. Mäenpää skied 472 km in Levi in the classical technique as part of the Visma Ski Classic. It averages an hourly speed of almost 20 km/h.

Mäenpää increased the record by almost 40 km. A Finn also owns the ladies world record with Anni Angeria skiing 375,564 km.

The Visma Ski Classics is a Scandinavia competition series of long-distance races in classic technique..

A look inside the Nordic Combined Season awards

What the Oscars are to the film industry, the Nordic Combined Awards are to the FIS discipline. This edition of "Behind the Scenes" casts some more light on the inner workings on the discipline's award show and its big night out in Schonach. Red carpet appearances included.