Santtu Silvennoinen
Taking the Finnish Cup competitions to cities is a smart move, writes Santtu Silvennoinen from Kuopio.
Kuopio’s Suomen cup gathered skiing fans along the slopes. Jussi Saarinen
– The future of skiing is in cities, because there are a lot of people in cities.
Vantaa Ski Association’s chairman Jussi Eronen’s comment is turning out to be a no-brainer.
In just over a year, three successful events have been organized in the cities of the Finnish Cup, the main domestic tour of cross-country skiing. They have gathered an exceptionally large number of people along the track.
Tampere in January 2022 and Vantaa in February 2023 attracted a total of more than 10,000 spectators to the ski championships.
On Saturday, more than 3,000 spectators watched the Kuopio Suomen Cup at Puijo. The contrast was pretty drastic compared to the 2016 Ski Jumping World Cup, when there were 500 spectators at the foot of the Puijo tower and the organizing parties made a six-figure profit.
The Finnish Cup covers six events per season.
In November, Vuokatti’s place as the starting point of the tour is valid, despite Kainuu’s remote location, because a significant number of athletes train on the locality’s excellent first-snow slope.
Another competition before the start of the World Cup for Ruka, as happened for the first time this season. Nowhere else can you organize an authentic mc qualifying than on mc tracks.
Heart winter competitions in the cities like this season.
The last two races of Käväthanki all the way to Lapland. Inari, Rovaniemi, Ylitornio, Ylläs, Levi, Sodankylä… There are enough terrains and tracks if there are organizers.
Last season, Inari was the best single race host of the 2020s, as the terrains and arrangements were almost MC-level. Hundreds of tourists from the south were marveling at the exoticism of Upper Lapland, and the total audience was measured in the thousands. An exact number was not obtained, as admission to the event was free.
