Moscow ready for FIS slalom event

International Ski Federation (FIS) officials have given the go ahead for preparation to continue at the site of the Audi FIS Alpine Ski Champions Cup parallel slalom race scheduled to be held in downtown Moscow, Russia tomorrow (Nov. 21). The event, the second of its kind, will be held on a 2500 ton steel ramp, equipped with two elevators, and covered with 5000 cubic meters of man-made snow.

“After the very successful glacier opening in Sölden (AUT) and the perfect slalom event north of the Polar Circle in Levi (FIN), it’s a very spectacular challenge to organize an Alpine event on the biggest ski ramp ever seen in the middle of the Russian metropolis of Moscow,” said Günter Hujara, FIS Chief Race Director for the Alpine men. “The format of a parallel event in this invitational competition gives us the chance to promote both the FIS World Cup and our athletes, the heroes, with equal attention to the sport and to providing an excellent show. It is also the first time that our best male racers will be joined by most of the world’s best lady slalom skiers.”

The Moscow races have been organized to generate interest and excitement for the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.

“We will start water injecting the course at midnight today on Friday 20th November. The plan is to set a single pole course with ca 20, perhaps 22 gates,” said Hujara. “The racers will get their first glimpse of the ramp at 6pm local time tomorrow, before the great show starts at 8pm.”
 
The World Cup’s top 15 slalom men have been invited to compete along with the top seven women. Three Russian athletes (two men, one woman) will also be given a chance to perform in front of their countrymen, an estimated 25,000- 30,000. Live TV coverage will be shown on Russian national TV and on ORF and RAI, as well as delayed on Eurosport and Eurosport Asia and highlights on the two German channels  ARD and ZDF.
 
Racers will face off in a parallel format with the top racer (according to current World Cup standings) racing the lowest ranked athlete in the first round. Each pair will race two runs, trading courses for the second run. Based on the first run, a time penalty will be added to the losing racer’s second run, enforced by the delayed opening of the start gate. The first racer to cross the finish line on the second run is the winner of that round and moves on to the next heat.

Racers will be competing for a $30,000 first-place prize. All participants will receive a $10,000 participation fee for competing.  

 
Participants
Men
1. GRANGE, Jean-Baptise (FRA)
2. PRANGER, Manfred (AUT)
3. LIZEROUX, Julien (FRA)
4. HERBST, Reinfried (AUT)
5. HARGIN, Mattias (SWE)
6. HIRSCHER, Marcel (AUT)
7. MYHRER, Andre (SWE)
8. ROCCA, Giorgio (ITA)
9. JANYK, Michael (CAN)
10. THALER, Patrick (ITA)
11. RAZZOLI, Giuliano (ITA)
12. MISSILIER, Steve (FRA)
13. HOERL, Wolfgang (AUT)
14. VALENCIC, Mitja (SLO)
15. HOROSHILOV, Alexandr (RUS)
16. ZUEV, Stepan (RUS)
 
Ladies
1. RIESCH, Maria (GER)
2. AUBERT, Sandrine (FRA)
3. PIETILÄ-HOLMNER, Maria (SWE)
4. HANSDOTTER, Frida (SWE)
5. JELUSIC, Ana (CRO)
6. BÖRSSEN, Therese (SWE)
7. CHMELAR, Fanny (GER)
8. RAYANOVA, Lyaysan (RUS)
 
 

Results of the 1st edition of the FIS Alpine World Cup Promotional Event in Moscow (RUS) on 2nd January 2009
 
1. NEUREUTHER, Felix (GER)
2. GRANGE, Jean-Baptiste (FRA)
3. MILLER, Bode (USA)
4. LIGETY, Ted (USA)
5. BYGGMARK, Jens (SWE)
5. MOELGG, Manfred (ITA)
5. MATT, Mario (AUT)
5. HERBST, Reinfried (AUT)
9. LIZEROUX, Julien (FRA)
9. HOROSHILOV, Alexandr (RUS)
9. DEVILLE, Cristian (ITA)
9. CUCHE, Didier (SUI)
9. ROCCA, Giorgio (ITA)
9. SVINDAL, Aksel Lund (NOR)
9. VAJDIC, Bernard (SLO)
9. ZUEV, Stepan (RUS)

Image: Moscow ramp nears completion (Patrick Lang)