Speed cut-off, schedule changes proposed

A couple of tweaks of the World Cup rules and schedules have been proposed for approval by the FIS Council, meeting next week in Antalya, Turkey.

Significant is a rule that would limit entry into World Cup speed events (downhill and super G) to skiers listed at or under 80 FIS points, a cut of 33 percent of the current point cut-off of 120pts. This proposal is not expected to have any impact on the U.S. program, with more than 300 skiers qualified via the ruling. The impact should be on small national teams with individual racers attempting to qualify for World Championship (and Olympic) berths.

There have also been some schedule changes proposed for the World Cup, including a team event added at Soelden, Austria for the World Cup openers this October and a change at Beaver Creek where a currently slated slalom has been swapped out with Val d’Isere in favor of a Colorado super G.

Other proposed schedule changes would move the men’s Zagreb slalom from Wednesday to Thursday, Jan. 6, and the men’s downhill at Chamonix moving a day from Friday to Saturday Jan. 29.. The women’s schedule doesn’t escape without some tweaks of its own, notably the addition of a slalom at Flachau, Austria, an event seemingly moved from a mid-week stop at the French site of Courchevel.

An additional women’s super combined is also expected to be added to the schedule.
Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong (at left) and Hubertus Von Hohenlohe will find it more difficult to qualify for World Cup downhills if proposals are ratified at Congress. – GEPA photo.