October 4, 2009 – As already confirmed by the FIS Council in the spring, the FIS cross-country World Cup will have several new rules this season. The biggest change was done in the sprint. The B-Final of the ladies & men will be removed and this time will be used for a nice presentation and celebration of the athletes and for a TV interview on the international signal. The FIS Cross-Country Committee agreed as well on the rule change for the FIS Tour de Ski that enables the racers who have to quit the Tour before reaching the finish line on Alpe Cermis to keep their World Cup points from all Tour Stages. This rule has been implemented to avoid sick athletes racing the Tour to the end only to keep their points.

For the World Cup Final, the FIS Council approved to reduce the starting field. Only the 50 best in the World Cup standing plus the Continental Cup leaders and the U-23 world champions are allowed to take part in the final mini-Tour. The Tour de Ski rule that athletes will keep their World Cup points even if they stop before finishing the series also applies.

Regarding prize money, two important clarification will be new in the rules: All prize money will be paid out electronically by bank transfer in the future and if there is a tie-result for example for the first place, then the money from the first plus second place is counted together and divided by two.

Minor Changes to World Cup Calendar

During the FIS Autumn Meetings the FIS Cross-Country Executive Committee approved a minor change in the FIS Cross-Country World Cup Calender 2009/2010. The competition day in Canmore moved from Saturday and Sunday to Friday (5th February 2010) and Saturday (6th February 2010) due to logistical aspects. In the 2009/2010 calendar there are 24 World Cup competitions (the Tour and the Final both count as one) in 11 different countries in North America and Europe.

The season will kick off in Beitostoelen (NOR) on 21st- 22nd November and will then move to Kuusamo (FIN) for the Nordic Opening where the traditional program with a sprint and an interval start competition will take place. New at the beginning of December is the city sprint in Düsseldorf (GER) moving from the weekend before Christmas. With Davos (SUI) a traditional venue follows before the first period concludes at the new World Cup venue of Rogla (SLO). It is the first time since 1993 that a cross-country World Cup will be held in the home country of the sprint World Cup winner Petra Majdic.

After Christmas, the FIS Tour de Ski will kick off on 1st January in Oberhof (GER) with three Stages in a row before moving to Prague (CZE) for an evening sprint event. After the first rest day, the Tour will continue with a Stage from Cortina to Toblach (both ITA) while the sixth Stage will be carried out directly at the rebuilt stadium of Toblach. Another rest day follows before the Tour will traditionally conclude in Val di Fiemme (ITA) with a mass start competition and the Final Climb to Alpe Cermis.

After the Tour, the World Cup continues with weekends in Otepää (EST, 16th-17th January) and Rybinsk (RUS, 22nd-24th January). The third period of the Cross-Country calendar features the pre-Olympic races in Canmore (CAN) and the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver which will take place from 12th – 28th February 2009.

After the Games, the cross-country family will conclude the World Cup season in Scandinavia with the traditional competitions in Lahti (FIN), Drammen (NOR), Oslo (NOR), Stockholm (SWE) and Falun (SWE). In Lahti, for the first time since several years, a relay and pursuit will be on the schedule while Oslo will organize the test events for the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2011 in the rebuilt venue at Holmenkollen with a sprint and a mass start long distance race. Like last year, Stockholm and Falun will host the World Cup Final which is a four-stage mini-Tour, where only the best 50 of the World ranking list are allowed to take part.

The FIS Nordic Junior World Championships will return to Germany next season since hosting this event in 2002. In Hinterzarten in the Black Forest the World Cup skiers of tomorrow will fight for the medals from 24th to 31st January.