Coronavirus update: Cortina hill prep moves forward as Sweden, Norway open their arms

As the coronavirus outbreak in the Vento region of Italy spreads at an alarming rate, sources on the ground in Cortina d’Ampezzo have told Ski Racing Media that operations continue to move forward with preparations for World Cup Finals, which are scheduled for the Italian resort March 18-22.  

Cortina was buried in two feet of snow this week, and despite calls from many, including the heads of several national associations, to move or cancel the event, course crews continue to proceed with hill prep.

The Veneto region of Italy, home to Cortina, is among the hardest hit by the coronavirus in Europe. Veneto, along with neighboring Lombardy, remain under a level 4 travel warning by the U.S. government. Other countries, Canada and Norway, have issued similar warnings. 

An announcement by the FIS, which was originally scheduled for Monday, has been postponed until Friday.

In the meantime, many, including U.S. Ski & Snowboard CEO Tiger Shaw, have called on the FIS to move those races to Scandinavian countries less impacted by the virus, where athletes are currently headed for previously scheduled races in Kvitfjell, Norway and Åre, Sweden.

Sweden has evidently heard those calls. Tommy Eliasson Winter with the Swedish federation told SVT Sport that they are ready to host additional races between Kvitfjell and Åre.

“We have not yet been asked by the FIS, but if this is the case, we are ready to hold the races when the financial arrangements have been clarified,” he said in the report. “We discussed that the tech races in Åre and the speed races in Kvitfjell could be held.”

“It would be an easy solution for teams, organizers and the FIS to ensure that the competitions can be completed and that the Ski World Cup season ends well under the given conditions,” he said, echoing the statement by Tiger Shaw earlier this week.