FIS News In Brief. Late December 2017
Athletes of the Year in Germany and Slovenia
Nordic Combined star Johannes Rydzek and Alpine shooting star Ilka Stuhec were named athletes of the year last weekend in Germany and Slovenia, respectively.
Rydzek had his best season ever, winning four gold medals at the Lahti 2017 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships and finishing second in the overall FIS World Cup rankings. He is the fourth Nordic Combined athlete to receive the prestigious recognition after Georg Thoma (1960), Franz Keller (1968) and Ronny Ackermann (2005).
The selection was made by German journalists with the criteria focusing on personality, character and success in serving as a role model.
Meanwhile, in Slovenia, Ilka Stuhec was selected Slovenian Athlete of the Year for 2017 at an awards ceremony in Ljubljana. It is the first such title for Stuhec who had a dream season, listing 13 World Cup podiums of which seven were victories and taking home the downhill and alpine combined crystal globes in addition to FIS World Championship downhill gold.
The winners are chosen by Slovenian sports journalists
Passing of Bob Calderwood
FIS was saddened to learn about the passing of long-time FIS Technical Delegate Bob Calderwood (USA).
Bob was highly involved in alpine racing for many years as a dedicated volunteer. He served as Chairman of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Technical Delegate Working Group, as FIS Technical Delegate for Alpine Skiing and Snowboard and tirelessly as a FIS and National Course Inspector.
FIS would like to express its sincerest condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of Bob Calderwood, whose dedicated work will be long remembered.nners are chosen by Slovenian sports journalists.
Behind the Results with Adrien Theaux and Ragnhild Mowinckel
In its latest Behind the Results episodes, FIS Alpine takes a close look at the background of French speed ace Adrien Theaux and Norwegian young gun Ragnhild Mowinckel who talk about their careers and passion for the sport.
Behind the Lens with Danielle Scott
FIS Freestyle recently chatted with the 'Flying Kangaroo' Danielle Scott about her journey with aerials skiing, her training methods and her Olympic dream coming true.
Hungarian Ski Association elects new President
András Bajai was elected as new President of the Hungarian Ski Association at the Association’s General Assembly on 20th November 2017. A former athlete, coach and an active member of the Association, Bajai succeeds Jenő Megyesy. The Assembly also elected a new Council.
PyeongChang 2018 completes Olympic and Paralympic villages
A special ceremony took place on 15th December 2017 to recognise the completion of construction on the Athletes' Villages for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
The PyeongChang Mountain Village, which is due to welcome its first guests on 1st February 2018, will house up to 3,894 athletes and team officials during the Winter Olympics. It will then be used as the PyeongChang Paralympic Village hosting up to 2,268 personnel.
A second Coastal Village in Gangneung, where construction was finished in September 2017, will accommodate more than 2,900 for the Winter Olympics only.
Both Villages were offered for sale to the general public and were sold out in May 2017 and November 2017 in Pyeongchang and Gangneung respectively. They will leave a legacy from the Games for generations to come.
