Sports News

The Austrian legend Fritz Strobl finally has the ceremonial handover of his cabin. The fastest race winner had a ceremony on the day the latest racer winner also received his gondola.

The Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee has expressed an interest in hosting the 10th Asian Winter Games at Trojena in Neom. Not everyone welcomes the move. UPDATED

Alpine skiing has had its best season ever yet is not deemed investible for World Class Programme Funding. Cross-country and Para Nordic are also affected. GB Snowsport has described it as ‘deeply disappointing’ and is appealing.

The former paralympic skier has been selected to compete for England in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

The International Ski & Snowboard Federation is aiming to centralise the media, broadcast, marketing and sponsorship rights & sales. Some major ski nations oppose the move.

The International Paralympic Committee has transfered the governance of the sports of Para alpine skiing, Para cross-country skiing and Para snowboard to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation.

They are Men’s Freestyle Skiing Dual Moguls, Women’s Freestyle Skiing Dual Moguls
and Women’s Ski Jumping Large Hill. There is also Ski Mountaineering but there is no space for Women’s Nordic Combined.

Four national ski associations have filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after Johan Eliasch won an election last month. There was no option on the ballot paper to vote against him. At the centre of the dispute are his plans to centralise the marketing of FIS World Cup events. UPDATED

GB Snowsport has confirmed the 42-athlete Alpine squad which will represent Britain for the 2022/23 season. The athletes are hoping to build on the successes of last season that saw GB win a World Cup for the first time.

Every winner of a Hahnenkamm World Cup Race in Austria gets a gondola named after them. Now it is the turn of a British ski racer. Step forward The Rocket. UPDATED

In an uncontested election the current President of the International Ski Federation Johan Eliasch was voted back in, but there was no option on the ballot form to vote against him. Some nations, led by Croatia, walked out in protest. Austria, Switzerland Germany and others refused to participate in the vote with 40% of delegates abstaining. UPDATED

The Swiss resort was up against Narvik in Norway, Soldeu in Andorra and the German ski resort of Garmish-Partenkirchen.  The World Championship venues for Nordic, Ski Jumping, Snowboard Freestyle and Freeski have also been announced. UPDATED

The Swedish skier, Jesper Tjäder,  has broken the world-record for the longest rail slide –  154.49 meters. Check out the video.

Decision Day is Wednesday, 25th May. Seven candidates are bidding to host the 2027 FIS World Ski Championships in Alpine skiing, Nordic, Ski Jumping and Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski. UPDATED

Thomas Bach has described Russia’s action as ‘devastating’ and a breach of the Olympic Truce. He made his remarks on the final day of the 139th IOC Session in Switzerland.

The Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation is taking in Ukrainian athletes, coaches and family members who have been displaced by the war. Many US ski & snowboard athletes train in Park City and the area has extensive facilities.

This week the organisers have been inspecting the course and making further preparations for the races at the beginning of next season. There are also new races in the USA and changes to alpine ski racing to make it more ‘TV friendly’.

Decision Day is Wednesday, 25th May. Seven candidates are bidding to host the 2027 FIS World Ski Championships in Alpine skiing, Nordic, Ski Jumping and Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski.

The International Ski Federation, FIS, and the International Paralympic Committee, IPC, are in discussions about the issue. NEW

The International Olympic Committee has set up a solidarity fund and pledged an initial $200,000 (£150,000) following the Russian invasion of the country.

The Rocket finished the season in 8th place in the slalom World Cup. It has been heralded as a superb performance, and earlier Dave told PlanetSKI he was highly likely to be in the starting gate for next season.

The iconic Engadin Skimarathon is the largest cross-country skiing event in Switzerland and the second largest in the world. It’s quite a spectacle and PlanetSKI is hooked.

The snowboard cross Crystal Globe was secured with a win in Reiteralm in Austria. It makes up for a disappointing Winter Olympics.

It was a successful weekend for Team GB in Beijing as The Games got underway with further medals on Monday. The Russian team has arrived back in Moscow after being thrown out due to the invasion of Ukraine.

The International Paralympic Committee has reversed its position after threats of mass boycotts from other countries. The decision comes 24 hours after the IPC announced athletes from the two countries could compete as neutrals. Russia has condemned the decision and says it will take legal action. UPDATED

The International Paralympic Committee made the decision at a meeting in Beijing, just two days before the Games are due to begin. The UK government has sharply criticised the decision alongside other sporting organisations. The IPC was considering the position after the International Olympic Committee called on athletes and officials from the two countries to be banned in response to the invasion of Ukraine. NEW & UPDATED

The International Ski Federation has said athletes from Russia and Belarus can not take part in any further events this season. The organisation has been under growing pressure and has been criticised by some for being slow to react to the crisis in Ukraine. NEW & UPDATED

On Friday 4th March the Winter Paralympics are due to get underway in Beijing. In an unprecedented move the International Olympic Committee is calling on sports federations and event organisers to ban all athletes and officials from Russia & Belarus from international sporting events. UPDATED

The Brit has taken his second World Cup podium of the season after his historic win in Kitzbühel in January. He came from 19th after the first run. Tributes are pouring in as PlanetSKI is set to meet & interview him on the slopes on Obergurgl on Monday.

The International Ski Federation has announced that all competitions due to be held in Russia for the rest of the season have been cancelled. It’s a swift about turn for FIS who had earlier indicated that World Cup events planned for this weekend would go ahead. The International Olympic Committee is urging all international sports federations to cancel all events in Russia and Belarus.

ParalympicsGB has confirmed one of the biggest British teams ever to compete at a Paralympic Winter Games with the announcement of the Ski and Snowboard athletes for Beijing 2022.

After a disappointing first run Dave put in a good second run that propelled him to the top of the leaderboard for a while. But he finished outside the top 10, in 13th place.

It’s the 6km Südtirol Gardenissima in Italy and is now in its 24th edition. 680 racers, both amateur and professional, take part.

No medals on snow, but Gus Kenworthy comes 8th in ski half pipe and Andrew Musgrave does himself proud in cross-country. The women curlers take gold, with the men curlers winning silver. Check out the latest. UPDATED

The 2022 Winter Olympics are finally here and the UK’s Gaz Vogan is one of 10 judges whose scores will determine who is crowned Olympic Champion in the freestyle snowboard events. In part two of his exclusive account from Beijing for PlanetSKI he explains how they judge the riders.

This weekend GB’s own Gaz Vogan will begin his work judging the snowboard freestyle events at the 2022 Winter Games.  He is the only Briton selected for the 10-man judging panel. He’s written this account for PlanetSKI about the life and work of a judge. Part One: Being a Judge.

The freestyle skier Izzy Atkin has withdrawn from the Big Air competition at Beijing 2022. She won a bronze medal at the Pyeongchang 2018 Games.

Dave Ryding competed in the Schladming night slalom on Monday night but came down the field in 20th place. However another Brit, Billy Major, made the second run for the first time, won some World Cup points and even beat Dave Ryding. It was the last slalom race before the Olympics.

The visually impaired ski racer and her guide Brett Wild were the top performers on Monday at the World Para Snow Sports Championships in Lillehammer. There were also two silver medals, increasing Britain’s medal tally to six. NEW

Great Britain’s Charlie Guest has secured her best ever World Cup result, finishing 13th in the Schladming night slalom.

Victory in the World Cup at Schladming gave the American a record-breaking 47th slalom win. NEW