September 12, 2009 – The FIS Roller Skiing World Championships 2009 are taking place in the region of Piglio (ITA) from 9th-13th September. The title competitions for ladies and men began with a 200 m sprint in Frosinone on Wednesday evening, followed by a team sprint (6x3km respectively 4x3km) in Fiuggi Terme on Thursday. Friday will see a 5km uphill race to Serrone in classic technique as an individual start race while the competitions will be concluded with a mass start race in free technique in Piglio itself. Piglio is a municipality in the Italian region Lazio, located about 50 km east of Rome, offering a panoramic view on the valleys of the Sacco and Aniene rivers.

The favorites for the titles hail from Italy and Russia, both of which have teams including several potential medal candidates. The host nation’s team will also feature such successful Cross-Country skiers as Giorgio Di Centa, Karin Moroder and Valerio Checci who is a native of the region of Lazio.

“The 2009 Roller Skiing World Championships are organized by an experienced Roller Skiing World Cup organizer with support from the Organizing Committee for FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Val di Fiemme 2013. The courses are exciting and challenging and I expect very nice competitions with deserving winners. Besides the sports part, the OC is also making great efforts to host the teams as best as they can and has organized several side events, including a festive opening ceremony on Tuesday night,” commented Özkan Koyuncu chairman of the Roller Skiing Sub-Committee.