FIS MEDIA INFO: FIS President highly satisfied with Åre 2007

Oberhofen, February 21st, 2007/ -- The 39th FIS Alpine World Ski Championships have concluded in Åre (SWE). “The World Ski Championships in Åre were one of the most beautiful, best-organized FIS Alpine World Ski Championships we have ever had. It is good for ski sport to have winners representing several nations; national stars are what we need to promote skiing on a broad basis. From that perspective, it was also very good to have the Scandinavian victories through Anja Paerson (SWE) and Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR),” commented Gian Franco Kasper, FIS President.

“At the same time, I am convinced that these championships and especially the superb pictures broadcast from the competitions served as a great commercial for the entire region around Åre, not only around Scandinavia but also further beyond,” he added.

53 years after the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships were first held in Åre, the world's top alpine ski racers and tens of thousands of ski enthusiasts returned to the Northern province of Jämtland for the highlight of the alpine ski racing season. Of the participating 62 nations – a new record – nine celebrated medals, six of them gold. With a total of nine medals, Austria won the medals ranking, followed by Sweden with seven and Switzerland with six medals. A total of 80'000 estimated spectators attended the 11 medal events in the course of 16 days of competitions. The men's slalom was the best-attended event with estimated 15'000 spectators. The various side events, such as an invitational Ski Star parallel slalom competition featuring some of world's most famous alpine skiers including local hero Ingemar Stenmark, a dual moguls invitational and a slopestyle new generation competition as well as a number of concerts and other activities in the Festival Arena, drew a significant number of visitors and spectators.

The 40th FIS Alpine World Ski Championships will be held in Val d'Isere (FRA) in February 2009.

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