FIS News In Brief: Week 1. November 17
Hirscher to receive Best European Olympic Committee Male Athlete Award
In conjunction with this year’s edition of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) General Assembly in Prague (CZE) this week, a number of special individual awards will be presented to honour the achievements of male and female athletes from five continents.
In recognition of his outstanding performances, Austrian ski star Marcel Hirscher was named Best European Male Athlete 2017 and will receive the award at a ceremony on 2nd November 2017 in the Czech capital. Last winter, the tech ace produced one of the most memorable seasons when winning his sixth overall Audi FIS Ski World Cup globe in a row, a feat that has never been achieved before, in addition to the giant slalom and slalom World Championship titles.
He was chosen by the ANOC jury from a shortlist provided by each of the Continental Associations over top stars including tennis ace Roger Federer (SUI) and athletics super star Mo Farah (GBR).
“This Award is very special to me and, considering the calibre of nominations and past recipients, it is a big motivation to work on my return to the FIS Ski World Cup,” the injured Hirscher said.
1 month to Cross-Country season start
Today, 1st November 2017, marks one month until the start of the FIS Cross-Country World Cup presented by Viessmann in Ruka (FIN).
Nordic Combined issues Media Booklet
The brand-new Nordic Combined Media Booklet containing all important information about the World Cup winter 2017/18 is now available.
Media representatives can find all the important facts about each World Cup including accreditation procedures, location and opening times of media centres, transport and accommodation facts as well as websites and social media profiles of the respective venues in one place.
Ski Museum in Damüls receives FIS certification
The most recent addition to the official FIS Ski Museums is Damüls (AUT). FIS President Gian Franco Kasper was in the popular tourism resort in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg last week to hand over the FIS certificate as part of an official ceremony held on 26th October, Austrian National Day, which was attended by more than 500 guests.
Damüls joins some 30 FIS Ski Museums around the world from 13 countries which are devoted to skiing’s history: Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, Finland, Japan, Canada, Liechtenstein, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia and the United States.
Markku Haapasalmi New President of Finnish Ski Association
On Saturday, 28th October 2017 in Helsinki (FIN), Markku Haapasalmi was unanimously elected as the new President of the Finnish Ski Association by the Association’s Council. Haapasalmi follows in the footsteps of Jukka-Pekka Vuori who held the position for the past four years.
The 66-year-old, who served as Vice President of the Association since 2013, is former Executive Vice President of Nordea, the Nordic banking company, and brings with him a wealth of experience in economy and leadership.
“I am grateful for the unanimous election, which was made by the Council. It gives me the good base to start my work as the President. As a leader in sport I want to build up the confidence, listen, meet people in our disciplines and go forward with our main strategic issues”, Haapasalmi said after the election.
Skiing exhibitions underway
Last weekend saw the annual Skipass exhibition in Modena (ITA), the biggest exhibition in Italy to promote winter sports and tourism. In attendance at the exhibition was Flavio Roda, President of the Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI) and FIS Council Member. The annual event dedicated to winter sports and holidays is the point of reference for operators and those with a passion for winter sports. This year’s edition was attended by more than 90,000 visitors over three days and featured a number of thrilling live snow sports demonstration.
Meanwhile in London (GBR), the Daily Telegraph Ski and Snowboard Show was held from 26th-29th October in Battersea Park. The four-day event included exhibitor stands, live snow sports demonstrations, comedy and music, as well as talks with famous athletes, whetting visitors’ appetites for the new ski season.
As special highlight, Britain’s best skiers and snowboarders showed off their tricks in big air, halfpipe and slopestyle sessions.
Le Gruyère AOP becomes FIS Tour de Ski Performance Partner
After joining the FIS Cross-Country World Cup in 2015 as a main sponsor, Le Gruyère AOP increases its presence as FIS Tour de Ski Performance Partner as of the 2017/18 season.
In this position, Le Gruyère AOP will be integrated into the FIS Tour de Ski logo, as well decorate the bonus sprints on 2 important stages and increase its presence on the start numbers.
