The ski circus must demonstrate flexibility in 2021.
Cancellations and changes of location are the order of the day - is the Hahnenkamm race now also affected?
Update from January 18, 10.15 a.m.:
All right in Kitzbühel!
The men's alpine ski races planned for Friday to Sunday can take place.
The Tyrolean governor
Günther Platter announced
on Sunday.
The execution of the classics had been on the brink of suspicion of the British coronavirus mutation in nearby Jochberg.
With PCR tests throughout the
Kitzbühel
district
, the authorities then obtained an overview of the infection process.
"Due to all the precautionary measures taken by the authorities, the population test and its results, the organizer's excellent security concept and the fact that no spectators are allowed in, it is reasonable to assume with a clear conscience that the Hahnenkamm races will take place next weekend," said
Platter
.
There
are two runs on
the legendary
Streif
on Friday and Saturday - the first to replace the race in
Wengen,
Switzerland, which was canceled due to corona
.
Another Super-G follows on Sunday.
Hahnenkamm race 2021 before cancellation?
Ski highlight suddenly wobbles
First report from January 15, 12.22 p.m .:
Kitzbühel - It is the highlight of the alpine ski season: the
Hahnenkamm race
in
Kitzbühel
.
But is that also the case in Corona year 2021?
The legendary
World Cup
with two downhill runs and a Super G is
actually supposed to take place
next weekend (January 22nd to 24th).
But the organizers are currently trembling - does Corona thwart the ski highlight?
The first event has already been postponed.
Originally, the World Cup was supposed to take place in
Wengen
,
Switzerland, from January 15th to 17th
.
Corona
finally drove the organizers to
Kitzbühel
,
Austria
, but a stop sign was quickly set there too.
The reason: two slalom races on one weekend (including with the German Linus Straßer) and just seven days later three speed disciplines behind?
Nothing there!
The risk became too great, it would be better to straighten out the ski circus and not gather so many athletes in one place within a very short time.
That is why the actual
Wengen World Cup
will not take place in
Kitzbühel
- but in
Flachau
(we follow the races on Merkur.de in the live ticker).
Hahnenkamm races in 2021 in danger?
Ski World Cup moved from Wengen to Kitzbühel and finally to Flachau
But of course one now worries that the downhill runs and the Super G may also wobble next weekend.
Peter Schröcksnadel
, President of the Austrian Ski Association, very much regrets the cancellation of the two slalom competitions in Kitzbühel.
But: You have to say “that this weekend would only have been the takeover races in
Wengen
.
Next weekend is much more important.
The main thing is that we get the races through, ”he told
sport24.at
.
Schröcksnadel
sees a "
good chance that it will work out next week
".
The magic word for this is: tests.
Tyrol's governor
Günther Platter
recently stated: “We want to guarantee a high level of safety.” This means that currently everyone in the
Kitzbühel
district
can be tested voluntarily.
"If the district-wide tests do not reveal any major abnormalities, the
Hahnenkamm races will
take place as planned,"
continues
Platter
.
Alpine skiing: the Hahnenkamm race wobbles, but Austrians are confident
But what happens in the event of abnormalities?
In
Kitzbühel
the seven-day incidence was last around 200. It would probably only take one spark to let the dream of the
Hahnenkamm race go up
in fire.
After the Ischgl disaster last year, the Austrians - rightly - became extremely cautious.
According to the authorities,
a final decision on the
Hahnenkamm race will
be made “at the beginning of next week”.
(akl)