FIS Race Director Sandro Pertile described the innovations in the World Cup as a “step into the future of ski jumping”.
“There will be at least two exciting changes,” said the Italian in an interview on the federation’s website. “Firstly, for the first time ever, we are allowing a women’s ski flying competition. This is a big step for our sport.”
Pertile also raved about the plan to hold the World Cup opener in Wisla, Poland (November 5th and 6th, 2022) in a kind of hybrid version on ice track and mats: “It sends a very clear message to the world that ski jumping is sustainable and is a four-season sport all year round.”
The FIS also wants to react to the chaos surrounding the material controls at the Olympic mixed ski jumping in Beijing. “We honestly have to admit that we faced some challenges in Beijing and of course we are responding to them,” said Pertile. “We want fair sport for everyone. We are currently working very hard on preparing precise rules and making our control system more transparent in the future.” In this context, he sees the FIS “on the right track”.
Ski jumping: 2021/2022 season a “challenge”
The Pertile described the past season as a “challenge”, in particular because of the constantly changing corona regulations. “I’m very happy that we were able to pull this off with great teamwork,” said the FIS Director. “We’ve had a lot of different winners, which shows that our competitions are open, very competitive and anything can happen.”
He himself has “a great passion” for ski jumping, enthused Pertile, who succeeded Walter Hofer in the 2020/2021 season. “It’s a pleasure to work with so many professional people, teams, organizers, partners and colleagues from different backgrounds and nations.”