In the Croatian online Jutarnji List we found a very interesting article about skiing. It actually attracted our attention because they write about the Alpine skiing and opening World Cup in Hahnenkamm, Kitzbühel.
There is one thing which caused a negative reaction from the involved skiers. The plan was to begin on 19th January with a Team Combined event, during which a Downhill racer and a Slalom racer (from the same nation) will compete together for Combined victory. Those both races were planned to be on the same day.
After reading the article mentioned above we decided to search more information and we found it. The Team Combined Must Wait is the article from the beginning of this month and it gives some more information. It is also connected to an earlier article this year which is called: World Cup Premiere in Kitzbühel 2024.
The skiers criticise the Team Combined in this case because they experience it as unfair and non-collegial and it goes against the spirit of sport according to the article. It is so especially considering the awarding of World Cup points and qualification requirements.
Participating in this Team Combined sounds very good and the event is attractive, but the negative reaction comes mostly because of the points. The skiers do not want to have shared points involved in this case. Skiing is an individual sport and it is not OK that shared points contribute to better personal results in the individual races.
However, are you looking forward to the World Cup Premiere in Kitzbühel 2024? If you are a passionate skier, we guess that you will follow at least some parts of this event.