These World Cup Races Are Cancelled
Ever since Covid-19 has hit, the prospect of a season of 2020/2021 World Cup races has been in limbo. Last season was cut short as the coronavirus swept through Europe, hitting ski areas such as Ischgl, Austria and Bormio, Italy especially hard (see A Call with Bormio, Italy: Lessons Learned.)
Today, Killington Resort, the largest mountain resort in eastern North America and a POWDR company, announced it will not be the host venue for the HomeLight Killington Cup race this year. This follows a decision made jointly by the International Ski Federation, National Ski Associations and local organizing committees in Canada and the U.S.A to restrict the Alpine Skiing World Cup tour to European through early December, 2020.
“We take a lot of pride in hosting the FIS Ski World Cup at Killington and we’re disappointed that we won’t be able to host it this year. It’s a world-class event that brings the entire Killington community together every fall to celebrate the world’s fastest female ski racers,” said Mike Solimano, president and general manager of Killington Resort, in a release. “It’s unfortunate that we can’t bring thousands of fans together for another World Cup race this season, but we fully support the FIS’ decision and know it’s best for the health and well-being of our community, guests, and employees given the current health crisis. We will continue to focus on the upcoming 2020-2021 winter season and welcoming back fans of ski racing in 2021 for the fifth Killington Cup.”
The FIS venue changes will cancel the women’s races at Killington, VT, on Nov. 28-29, and Lake Louise, Canada, on Dec. 1-6. The men will see cancellations in Lake Louise, Nov. 25-29 and at Beaver Creek, Colo. Dec. 1-6.
“As much as we regret not being able to host the HomeLight Killington Cup this year, we have to be smart, keep everyone safe and focus efforts on keeping Killington operating in these challenging times,” says Herwig Demschar, chair of the local organizing committee in Killington. “I am confident that the dedication of our volunteers, the support of our community and the passion of our fans will not be diminished by our hiatus, and we look forward to getting together again next year to celebrate the women who will continue to train and compete to be the best in the world.”
Killington, POWDR, and U.S. Ski & Snowboard have already committed to bringing FIS Alpine World Cup racing back to Killington Resort for the 2021/22 Olympic Qualification season. The HomeLight Killington Cup is a festival of skiing for the fans and athletes, and over the last four years has become one of the top three events on the Women’s FIS World Cup tour. Killington looks forward to celebrating ski racing excellence, convening the international race community, and inspiring the next generation of ski racers November 27-28, 2021.
Now, the question remains whether U.S. athletes will be able to travel to Europe to compete. At present many European countries have banned entrance by citizens from the U.S.