Women's World Cup tour receives positive news at annual fall FIS meetings in Zurich

Women’s World Cup tour receives positive news at annual fall FIS meetings in Zurich{mosimage}ZURICH The women’s World Cup circuit which had been reeling from a lack of venues, particularly downhills, received some bright news when Jan Tischauser, the assistant director for the tour, reported eight new downhill courses were going to be available to the women.

‘We have been working on this for the past few years’ Tischauser reported at a meeting of the FIS World Cup committee here on Saturday. Only the women’s circuit was under pressure as it had four downhill sites available and even fewer major resorts taking on women’s races.

The lack of sites will linger this year with the circuit having three double downhills in Lake Louise, Val d’Isere, and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
However, the women will also be challenged by a new course at Santa Caterina, the site of this year’s Bormio World Championships. San Sicario, just down the mountain from Sestriere, will inaugurate the 2006 women’s Olympic downhill piste in February. Finally the women will end the downhill circuit on a new course at the World Cup finals which will be held in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.

Tischauser also reported that new courses are being built at Tarvisio, Italy; Bad Kleinkircheim, Austria; Are, Sweden; and Whistler, British Columbia, Canada in preparation for the 2010 winter Olympics.

‘Some of these projects we have been working on since 1995’ Kurt Hoch, director of the women’s tour said. ‘With environmental hurdles, regional and local politics, it can take a long time to get a course ready.’

Tentatively the women are scheduled to ski two more new courses in the 2005/2006 season. Bad Kleinkircheim should be ready and Are, with the season’s final event, will be testing its new World Championship downhill track.