At the World Cup in Špindlerův Mlýn, which will take place in March 2019, female skiers will be competing in slalom and giant slalom. The program will therefore be the same as eight years ago and the local star, Ester Ledecká, could make her appearance in the giant slalom, which she already competed in at this year’s Olympic games in Korea. There was talk about the parallel slalom taking place in Špindlerův Mlýn as well, but that discipline is going to be held at Saint Moritz instead. The journalists were informed of this by the chief of the female section of the SP International Ski Federation (FIS), Atle Skårdal.
His team paid a visit to the Krkonoše resort during an inspection, which is customarily done before any event of the elite race series. The topics of talk mainly revolved around safety regulations and television coverage. “Most of the things we talked about, are nothing new for the organization team, because they have former experience with organizing these grand races” said Skårdal
The functionaries of FIS have gone through and observed both of the competition slopes and the finish area. “We want for this to be a big arena. It plays a role from a sports point of view, but also for the fans, to enjoy it more” added the former Norwegian skier.
The World Cup is coming back to Špindlerův Mlýn after eight years. In 2011, the biggest local star was the slalom skier Šárka Záhrobská. This time, she should be replaced by the double Olympic medalist, Ledecká; even though her favorite speed-based disciplines cannot be held at Špindlerův Mlýn.
“Also, for FIS, it is great to have a local hero in the competition. The giant slalom was not her strongest suit so far. I hope however, that she will come in a great form and compete in the giant slalom; which would definitely prove very beneficial for the race itself.” Skårdal addressed Ledecká.
After the last season, Ledecká already hinted that she would like to properly introduce herself to the Czech fans. This was further confirmed by David Trávníček, chief of Sport Invest, the sports agency that represents Ledecká.
“To compete in the World Cup in your home country is always an honor for an athlete, so it is definitely a part of the plan; however, the competition calendar is still in the making.” Said Trávníček. He expects that the involvement of Ledecká at Špindlerův Mlýn would attract a lot of fans.
Source: ISPORT.CZ