FIS News
"A big event in Montafon means competition and party!“
The venue of Tschagguns and Partenen in Austria’s Montafon region is the newcomer on the Nordic Combined Summer Grand Prix calender. In this edition of TUESDAY TALK, OC President Tomas Amann speaks about what makes the venue special and reveals some more details on what athletes and spectators can expect in early September.
You are replacing Villach on this year’s Nordic Combined Summer Grand Prix calendar. How did this come to be?
Thomas Amann: We were very happy when the Austrian Ski Federation approached us. The ÖSV and also FIS were satisfied with our good work in the past years. We have longstanding experience with the Boardercross World Cup and other big event like the European Youth Festival (EYOF) 2015 and in the next winter, the Audi FIS Skicross World Cup will take place here. Of course we are excited to host a third top-level competition in the year of 2015 in the Montafon region.
After the Nordic Combined Alpencup and the EYOF, the Summer Grand Prix is the next level of international Nordic Combined competitions which take place in Tschagguns and Partenen. A positive step for the venue?
Amann: Absolutely! On the one side, this proves how sustainable our sporting facilities are which can not only be used in the winter but also in the summer time. So basically, we’re an all-year-round venue, the place and the organising committee have proven themselves. On the other side, to organise a competition on such short notice was a challenge we liked to take up very much.
As we can see from the calendar entry, the competitions are hosted by the two villages of Tschagguns and Partenen. How exactly will this work in practice?
Amann: The jumping part of the event will be held on the new jumping hill in the Montafon Nordic Centre in Tschagguns. After that, we go further into the Montafon region, to Partenen. The roller-skiing competition will be held on public roads which will be closed for traffic for this purpose. The athletes will go four laps of 2.5 km which means they will be really close to the spectators who will have the chance to see the athletes multiple times during the competitions and be „in the thick“ of the competition. This will certainly create a very special, very exciting atmosphere.
What will athletes and spectators be able to look forward to?
Amann: I believe the athletes and spectators will see exciting competitons on very modern sporting facilities with international flair. We have a great number of very motivated volunteers without whom we couldn’t host such an event.
To make the spectators’ lives easier, we have established a shuttle service which will pick up the audience at the Montafon Nordic Centre and the parking lot at the Zamang train and take them to Partenen and back in the evening. We hope this will help to get even more people on location.
And we will of course also have a big After-Party in Partenen which everybody can look forward to. An international event in Montafon always means competition AND party! After the prize giving ceremony, we will have a live concert at the venue. And the entry is free, by the way, for the competitions and the concert!
Is the Nordic Combined Summer Grand Prix something that could also be interesting for the future for your venue?
Amann: Very definitely yes. As I mentioned, we have the respective sporting facilities and the Know-How to host events of this size. A third international-level event, especially in the summer time, is very interesting for us from the touristic point of view. It is our wish to host the Summer Grand Prix at the Montafon in the long run.
You are replacing Villach on this year’s Nordic Combined Summer Grand Prix calendar. How did this come to be?
Thomas Amann: We were very happy when the Austrian Ski Federation approached us. The ÖSV and also FIS were satisfied with our good work in the past years. We have longstanding experience with the Boardercross World Cup and other big event like the European Youth Festival (EYOF) 2015 and in the next winter, the Audi FIS Skicross World Cup will take place here. Of course we are excited to host a third top-level competition in the year of 2015 in the Montafon region.
After the Nordic Combined Alpencup and the EYOF, the Summer Grand Prix is the next level of international Nordic Combined competitions which take place in Tschagguns and Partenen. A positive step for the venue?
Amann: Absolutely! On the one side, this proves how sustainable our sporting facilities are which can not only be used in the winter but also in the summer time. So basically, we’re an all-year-round venue, the place and the organising committee have proven themselves. On the other side, to organise a competition on such short notice was a challenge we liked to take up very much.
As we can see from the calendar entry, the competitions are hosted by the two villages of Tschagguns and Partenen. How exactly will this work in practice?
Amann: The jumping part of the event will be held on the new jumping hill in the Montafon Nordic Centre in Tschagguns. After that, we go further into the Montafon region, to Partenen. The roller-skiing competition will be held on public roads which will be closed for traffic for this purpose. The athletes will go four laps of 2.5 km which means they will be really close to the spectators who will have the chance to see the athletes multiple times during the competitions and be „in the thick“ of the competition. This will certainly create a very special, very exciting atmosphere.
What will athletes and spectators be able to look forward to?
Amann: I believe the athletes and spectators will see exciting competitons on very modern sporting facilities with international flair. We have a great number of very motivated volunteers without whom we couldn’t host such an event.
To make the spectators’ lives easier, we have established a shuttle service which will pick up the audience at the Montafon Nordic Centre and the parking lot at the Zamang train and take them to Partenen and back in the evening. We hope this will help to get even more people on location.
And we will of course also have a big After-Party in Partenen which everybody can look forward to. An international event in Montafon always means competition AND party! After the prize giving ceremony, we will have a live concert at the venue. And the entry is free, by the way, for the competitions and the concert!
Is the Nordic Combined Summer Grand Prix something that could also be interesting for the future for your venue?
Amann: Very definitely yes. As I mentioned, we have the respective sporting facilities and the Know-How to host events of this size. A third international-level event, especially in the summer time, is very interesting for us from the touristic point of view. It is our wish to host the Summer Grand Prix at the Montafon in the long run.
Source: fis-ski.com
