During the International Ski Federation’s final inspection of the Val d’Isere venue on Wednesday, 2009 World Championships Director General Jean Luc Fabre sat down for a question and answer session to give his view of the ongoing preparations.
“We are 142 days away from the World Championships. Although this is a very short time period, there are no major concerns anymore. Our working schedule is tight, but we are in no doubt regarding our capability to deliver,” Fabre said.
During the International Ski Federation’s final inspection of the Val d’Isere venue on Wednesday, 2009 World Championships Director General Jean Luc Fabre sat down for a question and answer session to give his view of the ongoing preparations:

FIS: In your view, just after the FIS final inspection, is everything on track?
Fabre: Today, we are 142 days away from the World Championships. Although this is a very short time period, there are no major concerns anymore. Our working schedule is tight, but we are in no doubt regarding our capability to deliver.

FIS: What is the status of the new Sport Center, to be used as the MPC?
Fabre: The new sports center will be property of the municipality of Val d’Isère, who will place it at the disposal of the organizing committee from November 2008 to February 2009. The Organizing Committee will start with the interior installations on November 1st. Shortly thereafter, during the month of December, we will settle into the new facilities. Throughout the World Championships, this future sports center – equipped with the latest communication technologies – will serve both as the Main Press Center and host the staff of the organizing committee.

FIS: You have made some small changes to the slopes, what specifically?
Fabre: Some modifications to the slopes have been carried out. As regards the Solaise ladies side, the downhill course Rhône-Alps has been broadened in two places. A new course has been created to stage the ladies’ combined slalom. As for the Bellevarde Massif (the men’s downhill slope), the Ancolie passage and the one at the bottom of the big wall have been improved and secured. Start platforms have been built for giant slalom and slalom.

FIS: How will you solve the accommodation situation?
Fabre: We have resolved the accommodation problem by means of a specialized team: Two ladies have striven to respond to all requests. We have now reserved accommodation to meet all the needs of the teams and the VIPs. This team will also help the representatives of the media (press, TV/radio, photo) and other groups to find hotel rooms or apartments according to their needs.

FIS: What will you be focused on in the autumn?
Fabre: It is still late summer now. It is therefore premature to make predictions for the autumn. We can only hope that the season during which the marmots return to their burrows will be beautiful. This would allow us to accomplish the constructions more easily. Primarily, there is work to be done in the snow department: power lines, water pipes, telephone lines, fiber optics, stage construction, and setting up the cabins for the commentators. It would also help when it comes to the interior installations in the MPC.

FIS: What kinds of side events can the participants look forward to?
Fabre: The ski races will not be the only attractions of these championships. Every day will be marked with strong cultural highlights: classical or jazz music concerts, a seminar by a scientist (Nicolas Vannier will be talking about the environment with his sledge dogs), a ski museum, snow and ice sculptures and photo exhibitions. There will also be street activities, fireworks, parachute jumping, Jean-Claude Killy’s special soup, and much more.

FIS: How many volunteers are there going to be in total in Val d’Isere during these two weeks and are you still looking for some more?
Fabre: The volunteer program does not worry us at all. We have received more than 1,300 applications, though we only need 900. We will complete the selection and proceed with assignments in September and October.

FIS: This is a free event – how many spectators do you expect?
Fabre: It is truly the first time in the history of large sports events that there are no tickets sold. The access will be free of charge. We hope to attract around 20,000 people per day in Val d’Isère (10,000 Val d’Isère locals and 10,000 daily visitors). The number of 20,000 people corresponds to the number of spectators that attended the downhill race during the 1992 Olympic Games.

FIS: What are you most nervous about?
Fabre: The only issue we do not yet master is the weather. The success of the championships will largely depend on the sun. The very sophisticated weather forecast system at our disposal should allow us to plan for this.

FIS: How will you work with the French team for your event?
Fabre: We are partnering with the French ski team to promote this great sports event. Its members have been interviewed about the World Championships by the TV stations. The athletes will all, to a certain extent, act as the ambassadors of these championships through a media campaign beginning in early November. We will also participate in the traditional ceremony of presenting the French team to the media on October 6th in Paris, just to give another example of our partnership.