Comment | This is what the organizers of the World Cup don’t want to show – Sunday was the low point of the competition

Planica

I ski The World Championships had a humor day on the program on Sunday, but it wasn’t funny at all. The day was filled with doubles and mixed team competitions in each of the three sports, which don’t want to fire up the athletes as much as the spectators.

If this is the future the International Ski Federation wants to take the event towards, the picture is bleak.

The people on the spot voted with their feet, what they thought of the competition format. During the skiing pair sprints, the atmosphere was still moderate, but right after that the fans’ march started. It was not directed towards the stands, but towards the pleasure substances or out of the entire area. It was a sight that the organizers do not want to show on television.

Only a handful stayed to watch the combined mixed team competition organized for the first time. The occupancy rate of the beer and food tent next to the stadium was significantly higher. Of course, it is understandable that if the alternatives are drinking beer and watching couple antics, the choice of many is the first.

In Planica, the value competition drug has not peaked, but Sunday was already somewhat low. Most of those in the stands and along the route had an accreditation or VIP tag hanging from their necks or wore a ribbon from their country’s ski association. Those who showed up for money were few, if not even in the minority.

The competition itself was as relaxed as the atmosphere. Only eight countries participated. The differences were shocking, even though the ski runs were made as short as possible.

Many looked like they would have rather been anywhere else than competing on the ski slopes. The clear number one name in the sport Jarl Magnus Riiber anchored Norway at the end of a leisurely run to the finish line as the winner. He looked as happy as he did a year ago, when he found out about his corona infection, which ruined the Olympic trip.

Even the Norwegian fans couldn’t get excited about the championship.

The “culmination” of the evening was the mixed team hill. Today, Slovenia is a superpower in ski jumping, but it was not visible in the ski jump. There was no one in the actual stand. After all, there was a group standing next to the descent slope.

The average gross salary of Slovenians is well over 2,000 euros. You had to shell out at least 64 euros for the Sunday day ticket. It allowed you to get miles away from the competition venue, as cars are not allowed in the stadium. Accessibility is poor, and there are no large masses of people living in the surrounding areas. I would have thought that even the most inexperienced event organizer would have realized that this equation does not work.