The calendars in the men’s and women’s ski jumping World Cup are to be largely aligned from the 2026/27 season. Sandro Pertile, race director of the world association FIS, announced this on the sidelines of the Four Hills Tournament. As in biathlon, for example, the competitions between male and female jumpers should take place at the same time and in the same locations.
Currently, men and women only occasionally start together. “We are in the process of clearly defining a plan. But our clear goal is to bring men and women together“, said Pertile on Monday (January 6th, 2025) in Bischofshofen. The 2025/26 season will be a transition phase, after which there will be a merger.
Pertile announces tightening measures
How exactly this will be regulated at the World Cup stations is still unclear. However, Pertile has already announced some possible innovations. “We recently saw in Engelberg, where men and women started, that six rounds in one day are difficult to achieve“, said the Italian: “We are therefore discussing whether, for example, we should cancel test runs and only hold one qualification per weekend.“
More ski flying for women
Pertile, who will act as joint race director for both genders in the future, also announced that women will also have more ski flying competitions in the future. “The long-term planning for the women certainly also relates to the ski flying hills“Pertile said: “If you ask the women, the result will certainly be that they want to go to the bigger jumps.“
Kuttin: “Conflicts”
Women’s national coach Heinz Kuttin reacted skeptically: “I’m a bit conflicted. For example: Will the small hills remain in the calendar? If not, that would be bad”said Kuttin on ZDF: “They are important for the locations; at the Olympics and World Championships, small hills are used. That’s why you also need them in the World Cup.”