The dream for the Pyrenees continues. For the second time, Andorra aims to host the Alpine Ski World Cup Finals. This week, the questionnaire requested by the International Ski Federation (FIS) has been submitted electronically. This is requested from all candidates that are participating in the race, to demonstrate their ability to host the most prestigious alpine skiing event in the world of snow sports, second only to the Olympic Games: the World Championships in the year 2029.
The document, which has been thoroughly collated by the technical office team that is led by the director general of the candidacy, David Hidalgo, and the Andorran Ski Federation (FAE), contains 260 pages that comprehensively address the key questions, with answers divided into 21 sections for each of the various specialised areas of the event’s organisation. Among the requests for information from the FIS is the planning of the objectives and legacy of the event, the structure and operational set up for the races, the transportation plan, accommodation, hospitality, safety, sustainability, human resources and volunteers, medical services, ceremonies, promotional activities, media logistics, marketing rights and funding, as well as other matters.
Today was the deadline to deliver the dossier, set by the international body. From this point, the technical experts and advisors from the FIS will examine and analyse the project content from each of the candidates for the 2029 World Cups, among which are also Narvik, the Norwegian ski station, which, like Andorra, repeats its candidacy: and the Italian ski station Val Gardena, who are presenting their candidacy for the first time, although they hosted a World Cup back in 1970.
David Hidalgo, director general of the Andorran candidacy, said that "we want to convince the FIS that it is time to leave the centre of Europe to award a World Cup to the Pyrenees." In fact, a large number of the venues that have hosted the event have been located in the Alps, but the World Championships have also been hosted in the United States, Japan and South America. “We are putting forward a powerful project. The proposal for 2027 was already just that, and in fact, the FIS has taken some of our ideas as a model, for example in terms of accessibility. It is a solid and innovative candidacy. We will try to get them to consider the most differentiating points. We are ready”, he added.
For his part, the FAE’s managing director, Carles Visa explained that from the Federation they “will support the candidacy to convince the FIS that ours is the best project for hosting the 2029 World Cup. We have months of intense work ahead of us to do everything in our power to be the hosts of the Finals.”
The next touchpoint will be at the autumn meeting that takes place in Zurich, organised by the FIS at the end of September. The three candidates will meet with the experts from the different areas of the international entity, to evaluate and expand on the information provided by each project.
On the 4th of June 2024, the Icelandic town of Reykjavik will host the annual FIS Congress where the 21 voting members will make the decision as to which venue will host the 2029 World Championships.
