The weekend of February 8-9, Falun hosts world cup competitions in cross-country skiing. But there is a lack of snow and the organizer has had difficulty producing artificial snow. Now Fis is forced to make changes in order for the World Cup weekend to be implemented. Saturday's sprint is running as planned, but there will be changes during the distance race. Instead of individual start, it will be a mass start and the distance run will be shortened. It is clear after a meeting that the organizer in Falun today had with the International Ski Federation (Fis).
- We have a meeting on Wednesday when we make a final decision for which stretch of track will apply. Fis needs some input from us in terms of maps to make a final decision regarding the route. Today, there is a 2.5 kilometer loop on Lugnet and I think you will start from it. Then you will adjust the length of the race based on the track, says Ulrika Back Eriksson, CEO of Svenska Skidspelen.
Positive to changeThe original plan was for the men to run 30 kilometers and the ladies 15 kilometers.
- Then two longer loops of 3.75 kilometers were planned. But they cannot be run, and we have seen that based on the weather forecasts presented. We have had a long-standing dialogue with Fis but only today came the decision with the snow control that was yesterday.
What is the snow situation in Falun right now?
- We don't have any natural snow out in the terrain, but we have snow on the tracks. It looks like it will turn a bit in the forecast and we hope it will be white on the ground so that it frames the competition.
Ulrika Back Eriksson believes that it has never been relevant to suspend the competitions, and she thinks it is nice that Fis has now made a decision about the competitions.
- I agree with the decision that was made today, and I think that is absolutely correct. As the course looks now it will be much more accessible to the audience as they will see the riders more times. Nice that we get a focus decision to work on and that it does not hang loose.