February 18, 2009 (Liberec, Czech Republic) – The 2009 FIS Nordic World Championships will officially being Thursday, February 19 in the Czech city of Liberec. The women’s 10km classic will gets things started getting underway at 11:30am local time (5:30 am EST). The men’s 15km classic follows on Friday, along with the start of the Nordic Combined competitions. Ski Jumping begins on Saturday with the ladies individual HS100. Full schedule below.

On Wednesday the championship site hosted the FIS qualification race for the 10km C ladies and 15km C men’s race. Women with more than 120 FIS distance points and men with more than 90 FIS distance points according to the last FIS point ranking (no. 4, valid from Feb 6, 2009) participated in today’s qualification races (5km C women, 10km C men) to be eligible to start Thursday’s and Friday’s races. The top 10 skiers in each men’s/women’s race are given start positions for the 10km and 15km classic events. The USA’s Morgan Smyth was the lone North American to race and won the women’s 5km skate by just under fvie seconds over Li Xin of China.

Complete women’s qualification results here
Complete men’s qualification results here

The Bohemian region of the Czech Republic where Liberec is situated, has received 30+cm (12+inches) of snow in the last 36-48 hrs. This is a stark contrast to conditions that many athletes saw here last year when they competed at the pre-Nordic World Championship’s World Cup where the only snow on the ground was on the sub-3km loop of trucked in dirty wet snow.

For today’s qualifications race the athletes had to battle heavy snow flurries with a strong wind which drifted into the classic tracks in some sections. The long range forecast for the week is much of the same with overcast skies, wind and a chance of snow. It will be a test for the athletes as well as the wax technicians.

FIS World Nordic Championships Feb 19 – Mar 1 – Event Schedule

Cross Country
– Feb 19 – 10km Classic – Women
– Feb 20 – 15km Classic – Men
– Feb 21 – 15km Pursuit – Women
– Feb 22 – 30km Pursuit – Men
– Feb 24 – Skate Sprint – Men/Women
– Feb 25 – Team Sprint Classic – Men/Women
– Feb 26 – Team Relay 4x5km – Women
– Feb 27 – Team Relay 4x10km – Men
– Feb 28 – Mass Start 30km Skate – Women
– Mar 1 – Mass Start 50km Skate – Men

Nordic Combined
– Feb 19 – Mass Start 10km /HS100
– Feb 22 – HS100/10km
– Feb 26 – Team HS134/Team4x5km Relay
– Feb 28 – Individual HS134/10km

Ski Jumping
– Feb 20 – Ladies Individual HS100
– Feb 21 – Men’s Individual HS100
– Feb 27 – Men Individual HS134
Feb 28 – Men Team HS134