The Cross-Country Skiing World Cup scheduled for January 14 to 16 in the French resort of Les Rousses (Jura) is canceled due to Covid-19, the International Ski Federation (FIS) announced on Tuesday.
"Due to growing concerns about the organization of international events during the pandemic and the virulence of the Omicron variant, the organizing committee, the French ski federation and the national authorities have decided to cancel" the World Cup, writes the FIS in a press release.
The competition was to be one of the last rehearsals for cross country skiers ahead of the Beijing Olympics (February 4-20) which must take place with very strict health restrictions.
"The presence of spectators, although not called into question, would entail the implementation of substantial technical and human resources to ensure the health security of each", specify in a press release the organizers who evoke the new gauge of 5,000 people maximum for the outdoor events.
Third event canceled on the world circuit this year
"In addition to the concern for the health of the teams on the eve of a meeting not to be missed, Jura Ski Events also fears the financial consequences", between increased expenses and lower revenues, they add.
The Jura competition is only the third event canceled on the world circuit of all snow sports this season due to the Covid-19, after the ski jumping competitions initially scheduled for January in Sapporo and Zao in Japan. .
This is the second season in a row that organizers have thrown in the towel because of the pandemic.
As early as May 2020, they canceled a first event scheduled for January 2021 at the “Jason Lamy-Chappuis” stadium in Tuffes, inaugurated in October 2019.
France has not organized a Cross-Country Skiing World Cup for more than five years (Les Saisies in December 2016).