FIS World Championship 2021 invitations Published
The official invitations for the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships Oberstdorf 2021 and FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Cortina 2021, as well as the official team information for the FIS Freestyle, Freeski and Snowboard World Championships Zhangjiakou 2021 have been published and sent to the National Ski Associations.
Despite Covid-19 related challenges, the three Organising Committees of Cortina 2021, Oberstdorf 2021 and Zhangjiakou 2021 have been continuing with their preparations and have provided in-depth information about the Championships to the National Ski Associations.
The documents contain detailed important information for the participating teams, such as venue overviews with course maps, official competition programme with detailed timings, accommodation and transportation, accreditation, planned meetings and events and general local insights.
The team invitation and information also marks the first time that the official programme of the different championships is communicated externally.
Invitation Cortina (see below)
Invitation Oberstdorf
Team Information Zhangjiakou
The schedule of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf features an important premiere for Ski Jumping. On Wednesday, 3rd of March 2021, the Ski Jumping women will crown their first-ever World Champion on the large hill.
The proposal for its inclusion submitted by the FIS Ski Jumping Committee on request of the Norwegian Ski Association was unanimously agreed by the FIS Council at its Gathering in February 2020. Confirmation by the FIS Congress in May 2020 in due time for the Oberstdorf 2021 final programme announcement wasn’t possible due to its postponement and consequently the Council decision stands.
FIS President Gian Franco Kasper said: “The Ski Jumping large hill event for the women has been part of the FIS World Cup series for several seasons and Oberstdorf itself was the first Organiser to do so and has now successfully carried out four large hill women’s World Cup events already. Confirmation of its inclusion by the FIS Congress in May 2020 would already have been a tight timeline for the Oberstdorf 2021 Organisers to implement the event in the programme, but the re-scheduled FIS Congress in October is far too late for them. Therefore the decision of the Council in February 2020 could be implemented.
Florian Stern, CEO of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf is pleased with the new addition. “The FIS Council’s decision to include the large hill into the women’s Ski Jumping programme makes us very happy. The women will crown a World Champion from the large hill for the first time… in Oberstdorf! For us as the Organisers, this is a great honour.”
German Ski Jumper Katharina Althaus is also excited for the event: “This will be an unforgettable championship. We are jumping from the large hill for the first time and will get to enjoy the amazing atmosphere in Oberstdorf. I really can’t wait. The level of performance in our World Cup is definitely high enough so that now is the right time to also have a women’s World Champion from the large hill.”
With the inclusion of the women’s large hill event following the addition of the women’s team event in Seefeld 2019, the World Championship programme now features four Ski Jumping events each for men and women each (individual normal and large hill, women’s and men’s team events) plus a mixed team event.
Oberstdorf 2021 will also mark the first occasion when the female Ski Jumpers will be joined by their Nordic Combined counterparts, so that the number of women’s events in the Nordic disciplines will grow to 12 in total.
The Nordic Combined women will make their World Championship debut in their first-ever World Cup season and will have one individual event (normal hill) on the Oberstdorf 2021 programme. As the discipline evolves the roadmap is in place to develop the women’s programme also in Nordic Combined in the future with full gender parity as the end goal.
