September 13, 2009 – The men’s Ski Jumping Continental Cup events provided the occasion for the opening of the new ski jumping hills in Alpensia Resort near Pyeongchang (KOR) last weekend. 12,000 enthusiastic spectators were on hand to witness victories by Stefan Hula (POL) and Hyun-Ki Kim (KOR) in the two competitions held on the normal (HS 109) and large (HS 140) hills. The complex boasts a total of five hills, ranging from HS 25 to HS 45, HS 65, HS 109 and HS 140. An impressive stadium offers seating for 10,000 people along with 5,000 standing spectators. In addition, the brand-new stadium presents an artificial waterfall.

The blockbuster success in Korea of a recent movie called “Take Off” which features ski jumpers as its heroes has given rise to real ski jumping fever in the country. Take Off is currently the third most successful cinema film in Korean history. Thanks to great atmosphere and immaculate organization the venue of Alpensia Resort provided a great showcase of its ability to host competitions at higher levels such as FIS Grand Prix or even events in the FIS World Cup.

The summer series in the men’s COC in Ski Jumping will conclude in Wisla (POL) next weekend. On top of the rankings, Slovenia’s Robert Kranjec enjoys a comfortable lead of 126 points over Norway’s Akseli Kokkonen before the final two competitions in Poland.