In average, 64 % of the top three finalists in sprint for men during the last eight seasons came from the first semi-final. The reason is probably to be found in the five- minute shorter resting time between the semi-final and final. For ladies the difference was not that significant. One solution could be to make the break before the men’s final longer, but it is not possible due to the limited time when the sprint can be broadcast.

Another challenge with the current system is that the second and third ranked skiers from the prologue compete in 4th and 5th heat, which automatically takes them to semi-final 2. 

In order to make the heat distribution fairer and more favorable for the fastest skiers in the prologue, a proposal of letting the racers choose their own quarterfinal heat was discussed. Practically it should be done at the stadium just after the finishing of the prologue and the athletes should choose their quarterfinal heat in the order 11-10-9….1- 12-13….30.

A clear majority in the Committee liked the proposal but would prefer to wait with testing it until after the Championship in Falun. From the discussions it is clear that some liked the new tactical dimension while others where afraid of the extra stress it will put on athletes to choose the right heat.

Furthermore, the calendars where updated through the season 2018/19 and included the techniques and distances for the season 2015/16. They can be viewed in detail here: http://www.fis-ski.com/inside-fis/document-library/cross-country/

In the popular committee, two working groups forwarded good proposals in the challenging work to bring the popular skiers back together in one overall cup and an expert working group will report in the spring meeting next year on the possibilities of giving FIS points to all FIS races on the calendars including popular and roller ski races. A future goal is a common ranking for all CC skiers in the world.

With hopefully less than a month until the first ski steps on new snow I wish you all a good winter with lots of snow and minus degrees.

Vegard Ulvang

Chairman CC Committee

Source: fis-ski.com