Winter can come for the ski jumpers - Successful test in Wisla

The Grand Prix weekend in Wisla was a milestone for Ski Jumping. In the only Grand Prix of the summer 2020 (all other events had to be canceled due to Covid-19), it was impressive to see that the Polish superstars are - once again - in great shape over summer. Dawid Kubacki, Kamil Stoch, and Piotr Zyla were unbeatable.
The most important message of the weekend was something else: Ski Jumping competitions can be carried out and controlled also in times of Covid-19.

Ski Jumping works in times of Covid-19
Both competition on the Adam-Malysz-hill in Wisla went smoothly, there were no problems. In compliance with the regulations, the athletes were separated from the spectators, masks were worn, distances were kept and also the strict restrictions regarding traveling, accommodation, and so on didn't pose any problems.
A Ski Jumping Grand Prix and World Cup can be organized in times of Covid-19.

No problems for the athletes
In cooperation with the Polish Ski Association and the FIS, the organizers in the small Polish tourist resort have worked out a detailed concept for carrying out the competitions and this was successfully implemented by everyone involved on-site.

"It worked great, masks, forms, distances, it was not a problem at all and we were finally able to hold competitions again. Now we are looking forward to the winter", this was the feedback of the athletes after this weekend.

There will have to be changes
Obviously, the upcoming winter will be different. 
Example 1: The number of spectators allowed in the stadium. At first, the authorities allowed a maximum number of 999 spectators to attend the events on the Adam-Malysz-hill in Wisla, where the stadium is usually sold out for a Grand Prix or World Cup. This number was then reduced to 524 just two weeks before the event and on the day of the competition it went up to 999 again. The reason for these changes was the daily updated number of infections in the region and the number of spectators allowed at the event was adjusted accordingly. These short-term changes showed how fast everything the change and how flexible the organizers have to be. What do you do when you sold 999 tickets and only 524 spectators are allowed at the venue?

The second problem could be the travel restrictions from and to different countries. The athletes come from all over the world and the venues are located in many different countries. Some teams were not allowed to travel to Wisla (RUS, KAZ, FIN), athletes from some other countries could go to Poland, but they will have to quarantine for some days when they return home, what would make competing on the following weekend impossible.

During the course of the winter, it could happen that some teams can't participate in all of the World Cups. Nobody can tell right now, what the infection numbers will look like in all of the different countries over the next three months.

The winter can come for the ski jumpers
One thing is clear after the experiences gained in Wisla: The competition calendar for the upcoming World Cup season, which starts three months from now, stands. And there's a good chance that the events can be carried out as planned, the past weekend proved that.

The 2020/21 World Cup starts on November 21st and 22nd in Wisla, to only venue that already has experience in organizing a competition while dealing with Covid-19.