There have been a couple of cross-country race changes for the 2003 World Championships to be held from Feb. 18 to March 1 in Val diFiemme, Italy, the country that hosted the 1991 Worlds when Norway's men pulled past Sweden in the relay to establish themselves as the (restored) kings of the sport.

1. At the International Ski Federation convention in June, it was agreed the 1.5K sprints will be shifted from classic technique to freestyle, the same way they were staged at the 2002 Olympics and at the 2001 Worlds in Lahti, Finland.

2. In addition, the pursuit event was changed. Instead of the one-day pursuit (which has been used in the past couple of seasons, replacing the two-day pursuit), officials agreed the “duathlon”-or “double pursuit,” as it was also called when it was introduced last winter-will become the new pursuit. In this format, skiers begin with a mass start, ski their first loop in classic (a 5K for the women, 10K for the men), pull into specially designated trackside cubicles, and change into skating boots and skate skis for their second loop, this one in freestyle technique. “They start, make a pit stop to change equipment, and go back at it skating,” said U.S. Nordic director Luke Bodensteiner. “It's a scramble.”

3. What had been viewed by some as the inaugural-if unofficial-U-23 World Championships this season on the 2002 Olympic trails at Soldier Hollow has been put off for another year. The so-called Intercontinental Championships will be held Feb. 13-16 in Valdidentro, near Bormio, Italy. Eventually, the idea is to blend the U-23 and World Junior Championships, enabling nations with small staffs to have the traditional World Juniors (you may compete until the year-not the season-in which you turn 20) with races for skiers aged 21 to 23. Since most top-level cross-country racers don't get there until they're in their mid-20s, the idea is to create a”bridge” category. “It's just difficult for most countries to balance the World Juniors, U-23, and World Championships, so if we can get the Junior Championships and U-23s together, it eases some of the strain of any staff,” Bodensteiner said.U-23 makes a lot of sense for many athletes for a number of reasons. For one thing, it's not unique to cross-country skiing-soccer and cycling have a similar concept. It helps keep athletes who might otherwise drop their sport because of the sheer frustration of not seeing much progress.