Successful Dress Rehearsal For Are 2019, Countdown Clock Unveiled
With nine scheduled competitions in five days, the Audi FIS Ski World Cup Finals meant long days for the Åre 2019 Organising Committee and its hard-working team of volunteers.
Nearly everything worked according to plan, with the exception of mother nature not providing full co-operation on the weather, and the Organising Committee appears well-prepared for next year’s Championships.
“It has been a great learning experience and a successful dress rehearsal; we are both happy and glad. Much has gone exactly as planned but there are also some areas where we can still improve. Our team has worked really well together and is motivated to deliver excellent FIS World Ski Championships in February 2019, said Niklas Carlsson, CEO of Åre 2019.
FIS Race Directors for the ladies and men’s World Cup, Atle Skaardal and Markus Waldner expressed their satisfaction with the Finals and particularly the lessons for next year’s Championships: “The difficult weather conditions and snowfalls at the start of the week served a valuable purpose in preparing the Åre workforce to deal with the additional challenges, as well as defining key roles and responsibilities. We are convinced the organising team will benefit from the experiences during the Finals.”
Some facts and figures:
- Accredited participants: 2455
- Volunteers: 550
- Accredited media on site: 379
- Participating nations: 15
- Team members on site: 870
- Athletes on site: 150
These figures are expected to multiply for the Åre 2019 World Ski Championships where 120’000 visitors and 12’000 accredited participants are expected, including 1’500 volunteers.
A number of campaigns are already being arranged to promote the Åre 2019 Championships and the Organisers anticipate that the Swedish public will come in great numbers to see the Championships from 5th-17th February 2019.
Longines unveils countdown clock
On Thursday, 15th March, Longines unveiled the official Longines Countdown Clock in the main town square in Åre.
The countdown clock has become a tradition for World Championship hosts and displays the number of days, hours and minutes until the opening of the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.
On hand for the unveiling ceremony were Longines Vice President Juan-Carlos Capelli, FIS President Gian Franco Kasper, CEO of the Åre 2019 Organising Committee Niklas Carlsson, FIS Secretary General Sarah Lewis together with FIS Marketing Manager Jürg Capol.
"Today’s ceremony is a key milestone for the Åre 2019 Organising Committee who now has a visual reminder with the Longines countdown clock situated in the middle of the town," said Kasper. "The Longines clock serves as a continuous reminder for the community and visitors that the World Championships are getting closer and will help to generate excitement for the event."
When the clock was officially unveiled, there was 326 days until Åre officially welcomes the Alpine Skiing world.
