The Forum Alpinum for the 2016-17 season took place on Friday afternoon in Soelden as members of the race community and media gathered together for the annual event which also served as the official kickoff of the 50th anniversary year of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup. In honor of the circuit’s longevity, the winner of the very first World Cup race – Austrian Heinrich Messner – was recognized by the crowd for his slalom victory at Berchtesgarden, Germany, on Jan. 5, 1967.  

Eurosport commentator Nick Fellows served as host of special guests who all contributed to an in-depth preview of the upcoming season. FIS President Gian Franco Kasper spoke extensively about the Olympic preparations for upcoming events in PyeongChang, South Korea (2018), and also Beijing, China (2022). 

Last season’s champions Lara Gut and Marcel Hirscher discussed the challenges of securing the overall title and also starting a new season. Hirscher even revealed that he gets nervous every year before the opening race at Soelden.

Chief Race Directors Markus Waldner and Atle Skaardal provided an overview of the new starting order in speed events as well as some specifics on the race slopes at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships St. Moritz 2017 venue. Both race directors are excited to add more city events and venues to the schedule in the coming seasons in order to enhance the fun factor of the sport for athletes and fans alike. 

Finally, FIS Secretary General Sarah Lewis announced the development of a free mobile application on both Android and Apple platforms that will be available for fans this season. The final technical details are currently being sorted out and the application, which will include live timing, results, biographies, race footage, and other multimedia, will launch prior to the new year. A formal announcement of a specific launch date will be available soon. 

Source: fis-ski.com