Industry News
The International Ski Federation announced Thursday morning in a news release that it is canceling its North American ski races for the 2020-21 season and keeping its World Cup competitions in Europe. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic is to blame.
The FIS said that “protecting health and welfare of all participants to the best extent possible” is its objective with the decision to cancel its races in North America this season.
Beaver Creek’s Birds of Prey track, which was scheduled for the first week of December, won’t happen this year and neither will the speed weekend in Lake Louise, Canada planned for Nov. 25-29, Vail Daily reports. It also means that the women’s giant slalom and slalom events at Killington, Vermont won’t be taking place until the next ski season either.
Professional ski racer and several-time champion Mikaela Shiffrin spoke on the FIS’ decision to cancel races this winter, and she was especially disappointed about not being able to race at Killington this winter. She wrote in an Instagram post,
“I think by now everyone probably knows that Killington is my favorite race,” she wrote. “It’s such a pleasure to be able to race in the U.S., and race in the East Coast with those East Coast fans screaming. It’s also such a joy to see so many young ski racers in our nation there to cheer us all on. It’s been amazing, and I am going to really miss it this year.”
She added: “So, this is a bummer, however — it’s going to feel so incredible next year to race in Killington, to have some sense of normalcy, and to get back to all of the things we love to do. There’s a lot to do now, so that we can get to that point. We are so happy and lucky to be able to ski race this year at all. And, it’ll be that much sweeter when we can come back.”
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CEHTqFHDGlx/?utm_source=ig_embed
For more information, visit bcworldcup.com
