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GAP 2011 underway
The 2011 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships commenced in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GER) on Monday, 7th February. To conclude the impressive ceremony at the Olympic Ski Stadium, FIS President Gian Franco Kasper officially opened the event.
"We are very pleased to see the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships return to Garmisch-Partenkirchen after a break of 33 years. The continuously growing number of participating athletes and nations underscores the high interest in the sport of Alpine Skiing," said President Kasper. He added: "The weather forecast promises cold nights and pleasantly sunny days for the next week. I am expecting true ‘Festspiele im Schnee', Bavarian style, for athletes and spectators alike."
Competitive action began with the ladies and men's super-G races on Tuesday and Wednesday which saw Austrian Elisabeth Görgl and Italian Christof Innerhofer becomecrowned the first 2011 world champions in exciting races on very challenging courses.
All in all, 525 athletes - 208 ladies and 317 men - representing 69 nations have been entered to participate in the second FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Germany. Several hundred million television viewers will be following the Championships, brought to them by reporting from a record number of almost 1'800 media representatives that have been accredited.
33 FIS World Championships medals will be awarded as the competition schedule includes five ladies' and five men's events as well as the co-ed nations' team event. The nations' team event will be staged for the third time since its introduction in Bormio (ITA) in 2005 and successful second edition in Are (SWE) in 2007 after inclement weather forced cancellation in Val d'Isére (FRA) in 2009. For the first time, the event will be carried out in the parallel format which proved highly successful during its debut at the FIS World Cup Finals last season.
Qualification races for the men's slalom and giant slalom events are taking place due to the extremely high number of entries in these events that provisionally foresee around 180 competitors. Following the decision of the FIS Congress 2010 in Cape Town, there will be 100 starters in the final competitions and the top 60 from the first run will compete in the second run.
"We are all exited before the start of the most important winter sports event in Central Europe this season. The Host broadcaster, GAP TV2011 which is acting on behalf of ARD and ZDF, is ready to deliver a first-class TV signal to broadcasters around the world. We are convinced that the Garmisch-Partenkirchen championships will be a great and memorable spectacle for the sport of Alpine Skiing", commented Ingolfur Hannesson, Head of Winter Sports for European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the television and marketing rights holder for the event.
EBU's marketing partner Tridem Sports announced that international sponsoring opportunities at the championships are sold out. The group of sponsors is led by presenting sponsor Audi, marking its fourth appearance since 2003 in this prestigious role, with the main sponsors Vattenfall, Halti, Milka and Deichmann as well as a new official timing sponsor Hublot.