The 50 km course at Holmenkollen is thought to be the world's hardest ski course due to its challenging uphill slopes. FIS Nordic World Ski Championship 2011 Sports Director John Aalberg thinks everyone in the cross-country skiing community will consider the winner of the 50 km race the toughest skier in the WSC.
The official invitation to the 2011 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships was sent out 1 July to all Nordic ski Nations. The invitation includes information for the teams about the competition program, the venue, the City of Oslo as well as miscellaneous practical information. The first deadline for team registration is in October
WSC at Holmenkollen will feature many afternoon events, two night ski jumping competitions and several events per day and we are gearing up for a spectaculer event next winter. The final programme was decided at an FIS congress in Turkey June 4.
The Soria Moria Hotel won the "Enough of the right food" competition held during the trial World Cup. "We appreciate the great effort made by all the hotels toward our food project. Getting enough of the right food is essential for athletes" says Bente Rafen-Sparby, hotel and hosting manager in Ski-VM 2011.
Italian cross-country star Giorgio Di Centa (37) has his eyes fixed on gold. If his results at the Winter Olympics are good, his next goal will be to end his career with a World Championship gold at Holmenkollen.
The International Ski Federation (FIS) has now approved the programme of 21 events for the World Ski Championships in 2011. FIS has also decided to approve the fourth Nordic combined competition (normal hill ski jump and 4x5km cross-country), which will make these World Championships an even better spectacle for the public.
On Friday 9 October, a delegation from the FIS inspected the new network of ski tracks at Holmenkollen. The old ski hero Vegard Ulvang, who chairs the FIS cross country committee, was extremely happy with the layout.
Lasse Ottesen, the former Norwegian national team ski jumper, becomes the Assistant Director of Sports at the 2011 WSC. Lasse Ottesen and Espen Bjervig, the Director of Sports, will work together to make sure that the best possible sporting conditions are in place. They will also assist the race directors and offer services to the ski teams.
The board of the FIS has decided that there will also be a team competition for men on the small hill. This means there will be four ski jumping events for men at the 2011 World Championships. “We are happy that even more people will have the chance to see ski jumping at Holmenkollen. We have already noticed great interest from the public,” says Ski-VM 2011's Director of Sports, Espen Bjervig.
Why is Holmenkollen the third best known sporting arena in the world? Only Wembley and Wimbledon are ranked ahead of us, while Madison Square Garden and all the other sporting arenas have fallen behind. It is hardly the ski jumping hill with its 18 reconstructions and continuous dispensations from the regulations which has created this success. No, it’s the spectators, culture and expertise which lie at the root of this reputation.
The cross-country skiers have three main goals ahead of them, of which the Nordic World Ski Championships is the last and the one they look forward to the most. Chief of Sports for cross-country, Åge Skinstad, encourages the spectators to come to Holmenkollen. This may encourage the Norwegian skier to go up to 30 seconds faster.
The ladies ski jumping team of Norway is on track for the WSC in 2011. They look forward to the extra attention and atmosphere in Oslo. Naturally, they also dream about success on home ground.
After a successful World Cup at Holmenkollen on the 8th and 9th of March, with three Norwegians in the top six places, it is now two years until the athletes can compete in ski jumping and cross-country skiing in Oslo. Both Nordic combined athlete Espen Rian and sport chief Bård Jørgen Elden are looking forward to a Nordic World Ski Championships on home ground.
