Top slalom racers sign on for Moscow Champions Cup

Many of the World Cup’s top slalom racers have agreed to participate in the FIS Alpine Ski Champions Cup parallel slalom event in Moscow, Russia Nov. 21. The event will be much like the inaugural FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Promotional Event hosted last season by the Russian Ski Association.

Last season’s event drew competitors like Americans Bode Miller and Ted Ligety, Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Grange and Austrian Reinfried Herbst, as well as tens of thousands of spectators.

The World Cup’s top slalom racers (14 male and 7 female) were invited to participate in this year’s event. Three promising Russian skiers will also participate.  

This year’s event will be staged at the Moscow State Palace of Children’s and Youth’s Creativity. The new ramp area will offer a wider range of facilities for athletes, FIS officials, guests and spectators. The new venue will be known as the Moscow Grand Ramp Arena. The new ramp will be 60 meters high 35 meters wide and 200 meters long. Last year’s ramp was 56 meters high and 170 meters long.
 
“After the highly successful first edition on Jan. 2, 2009, we look forward to the second FIS Alpine Ski Champions Cup. The event will now be held earlier in the season, on  Nov. 21, which we believe is great timing for promotional purposes. This year’s competition is more focused on the slalom specialists and we are proud to welcome 11 of the top 14 male racers to Moscow,” said Günter Hujara, FIS Chief Race Director for Alpine men.
 
“The first ladies’ Champions Cup promises to be an excellent event: led by last year’s slalom World Cup winner, we will see a strong field and the athletes and coaches are all very excited. This is a great result despite the fact that there is a technical event the weekend before and after Moscow in the ladies’ Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup,” said Atle Skaardal, FIS Chief Race Director for Alpine ladies. “The refined format, a one pole parallel slalom in a knock-out format, is bound to deliver a great show.”

Each racer will receive a $10,000 participation bonus and the male and female winners of the event will receive $30,000. 

The event will also feature an Alpine Ski Industry Salon, which will be held in a tent near the ramp. The Salon will allow national and international alpine ski industry firms to exhibit their products.

Expected athletes include:
 
Men

Grange, Jean-Baptiste         FRA
Pranger, Manfred              AUT
Lizeroux, Julien                 FRA
Herbst, Reinfried               AUT
Hargin, Mattias                  SWE
Matt, Mario                      AUT
Hirscher, Marcel                AUT
Myhrer, Andre                  SWE
Rocca, Giorgio                  ITA
Janyk, Michael                  CAN
Thaler, Patrick                  ITA
Razzoli, Giuliano                ITA
Missilier, Steve                  FRA
Hoerl, Wolfgang                AUT
 
Ladies

Riesch, Maria                    GER
Aubert, Sandrine               FRA
Pietilae-Holmner, Maria        SWE
Hansdotter, Frida              SWE
Jelusic, Ana                      CRO
Börssen, Therese              SWE
Chmelar, Fanny                GER

Image by OC Moscow