January 21, 2009 (Toronto, ON) – Following the great success nationally and internationally of our Fantasy FIS Tour de Ski 2008.09 Contest – contestants loved it, and FIS loved it – we’re pleased to announce the first international SkiTrax Fantasy FIS World Cup 2009 Contest. We’ve added some twists and turns and special bonus points to challenge race fans – with 15 races left on the World Cup Calendar anything can happen.

We’re still working on our prize list – Fischer and Rossi are on board again – and but here’s what we can tell you. The contest will officially launch on Jan. 22 or Jan. 23 for team registration with all rules and other info – the deadline to enter is Jan. 29 at 6pm EST the day before the Rybinsk World Cup where the USA’s Kikkan Randall won sprint gold in Dec. 2007. Similar to our TdS contest here’s how the World Cup Contest works.

Select your fantasy World Cup team of four (4) men, and four (4) women, plus two “Outlaw” skiers – one (1) male and one (1) female not in the top 15 of the FIS World Cup overall rankings after Otepaeae, Estonia – click here for the current FIS rankings.

Register your team and team name by our deadline at 6 pm EST on Jan. 29 – the day before the Rybinsk WCup. You can register or change your team any time until Jan. 29. All teams must have two (2) “Outlaw” skiers – available on our contest site on Sunday, Jan. 25.

Points will be awarded based on each skier’s performance and published periodically so you can follow your team’s progress after each World Cup and see how you compare with other players. We’ve added some unique bonus points such as Liberec Points where your team members can earn extra points at the 2009 Nordic World Championships in Liberec.

The SkiTrax Fantasy FIS World Cup 2009 Contest is open to everyone including all national and international residents matching the international field competing on the World Cup circuit.

Tell your friends and test your skills and knowledge with players from around the world. Who will win the 2009 Veissmann XC World Cup and the SkiTrax Fantasy FIS World Cup 2009 Contest? Start planning your team today and stay tuned to skitrax.com for more contest details.