Two weeks after the devastating fire, the ski circus stopped off in Crans-Montana these days. "The Swiss athletes skied with mourning florals, otherwise there was really nothing up on the mountain to indicate the disaster," says Werner Zurbuchen, head of young talent at Swiss-Ski.
Following the devastating fire disaster in Crans-Montana, the organizing committee decided after careful consideration to hold this year's races in the Valais ski resort. "Sport unites and keeps the memory alive," writes the organizer on its homepage.
The reasons are explained as follows: "This decision stands for our aspiration to live the sport with dignity and respect. The Ski World Cup is an international sporting event that has been prepared for a long time together with our partners and by the athletes themselves. We hope that this event will help us to stand up again, experience positive emotions and at the same time create space for encounters and community - to not forget and to remember the victims with restraint and respect."
The framework of the women's and men's World Cup races, which will take place at the end of January, will be adapted to the circumstances, the statement continues. What these will look like has not yet been communicated.
"European Cup races are not public events"
Two European Cup ski races have already taken place in Crans-Montana on Tuesday and today (Wednesday). Was the atmosphere different compared to last year? Were there fewer spectators? "European Cup races are not spectator events, it's purely about the competition and there's no fuss," says Werner Zurbuchen, Head of Junior Alpine Skiing at Swiss-Ski. "That's always the case and this time was no different. In addition to the participating teams, there were mainly volunteers present."
And yet not everything was as usual. Zurbuchen: "Our athletes rode with a mourning flag. Otherwise, there was nothing else on the mountain to indicate the fire disaster. But when you're in Crans-Montana, the tragedy naturally remains all the more present in your thoughts."
From a sporting perspective: Belgian Armand Marchant won on Tuesday, with Swiss Sandro Simonet in second place. On Wednesday, Frenchman Antoine Azzolin won, with Joël Lütolf in fourth place as the best Swiss.
