Cross-Country decisions in Portoroz, Slovenia

The Cross-Country Committee discussed a number of proposals and the following ones were approved by the FIS Council:

Team sprint
The team sprint qualification criteria for the final has been modified. Starting this season, the two best teams from each small final will qualify for the final. Additionally, the six fastest teams by time will receive a spot in the team sprint final.

**Starting quota
**The starting quota in stage events was changed. In stage events (Ruka / Lillehammer Triple, FIS Tour de Ski FIS World Cup Final) the top 20 athletes in the current sprint World Cup standings can start, in addition to the normal quota.

**Technique zones
**Specific zones on the courses will be marked where double poling is prohibited.

Turning technique 
The definition of “turning technique” was specified. In addition, starting this winter, areas where turning technique is allowed will be clearly marked on the snow.

**World Cup calendars
**The FIS World Cup calendar for the 2017/18 season presented by Viessmann as well as future calendar drafts in Cross-Country and Alpine Skiing until 2019/20 were approved.

Highlights on the FIS Cross-Country World Cup calendar 2017/18 include the new individual and team sprint competitions in Dresden (GER) on 13th-14th January 2018. In addition, the new Nordic Centre in Planica (SLO) will host sprint and distance World Cup competitions on 20th and 21st January 2018.

**Long-term strategy
**The Cross-Country Committee continued the discussion about the future of Cross-Country Skiing and its strategy. An expert working group including FIS staff, TV and marketing experts was established to analyse the FIS Cross-Country competition formats and work out suggestions to be put forward at the FIS Technical Committee Meetings in Zurich (SUI) in autumn.