FIS Cross-Country Autumn meetings update

On 1st October, the FIS Cross-Country Autumn meetings concluded with another online version of the Cross-Country committee meeting. Working groups that were formed in the FIS Spring meetings supported the discussions of the Sub-Committee meetings during the week. Find here the major conclusions and proposals that were presented to the Cross-Country Committee.

All  proposals are still subject to the approval of the FIS Council.

World Cup rules 2021/22

Among other discussions, the major proposals from the World Cup Committee concerned the new format testevents in the upcoming season.

For the mixed Relay and mixed Teamsprint testevents which both will be hel in Free technique in Falun (SWE) on March 2022, the following participation proposals were established:

For each event, one team per nation will be allowed to be entered.

Qualification Teamsprint: Each athlete will individually ski one lap by interval start. The result of the qualification round will be calculated by accumulating the times of both athletes and the 20 best team will be qualified to the Final.

During the Finals, each athlete of the team will alternatively ski 6 laps each in the following order Women / Man. The last 2 teams will be eliminated after lap 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. Overlapping rules will apply. No physical contact between the competitors is required for the exchange.

In the mixed Relay, the order will be woman | man | man | woman and each athlete will ski a 5km leg.

Long-term calendar framework

In cooperation with the National Ski Associations, the World Cup Committee has established a framework that plans until the 2026/27 season. The 2022/23 calendar as well as the long-term calendar frame will be confirmed after the FIS Spring meetings in May 2022.
The basis for the decisions taken for the framework lied mainly on six factors:

Climate Change
Race where and when there is snow. Reduce our environmental footprint. Optimize travels and logistics.

International Dimension
Promote International participation. Engage worldwide organizing nations.

Gender Equality
Same calendar for both genders.

Athletes Participation
Promote the participation at all events. Alternate racing and preparation periods.

Audience
Find balance of event entertainment and traditional events. Find dates favorable for TV exposure.

Financial Sustainability
Calendar must be affordable for teams and LOC’s

Click here for the long-term calendar framework (uploaded as soon as confirmed).

ICR 343.9 Obstruction and Overtaking

During the past months, a dedicated Working Group on ICR rule article 343.9 discussed and reviewed the obstruction and overtaking rules. The group included Sub-Committee members, FIS staff, coaches, athletes, and a legal expert. After evaluation, the Sub-Committee for Rules and Control received a proposal that was approved by the Sub-Committee as well as the Cross-Country Committee.

The proposal sets general rules of conduct for competitors and has two main principles:

• Leading competitor can choose their line but must consider other competitors

• When competitors ski side by side, the responsibilities become shared

Read the full amendment of ICR article 343.9 in the updated ICR rules.

Cancellation of events

ORIS (Olympic results system) requested FIS to define rules for an extraordinary situation, when a race must be interrupted for force majeure reasons, but the results could be still valid. The proposal is based on the principle that if there is no doubt on top ranked competitors and/or teams then results could be declared.

The proposal of the  Sub-Committee was agreed on by the Cross-Country committee. It states that for mass start competitions (including skiathlon, team events) the results can be validated after top 6 athletes and top 3 teams are in the finish.

The updated ICR can be found here. (uploaded as soon as confirmed)

JWSC and U-23 Update

As preivously communicated, the Cross-Country competitions this season during the JWSC and U23 WSC can not take place in Zakopane (POL). FIS Cross-Country, together with interested National Ski Associations are currently evaluating possible venues. As soon as the organizer is confirmed, FIS Cross-Country will communicate it on its official channels.

Sub-Committee for Rollerskiing

Martins Niklass, FIS Rollerski Coordinator reported of the successful World Cup season that concluded a few weeks back with the ROL WSC in Val di Fiemme (ITA). 
For the upcoming season, the calendar schedules four World Cup stops, starting already by the end of June in Norway.

Click here for the updated FIS Rollerski World Cup schedule 2022. (uploaded as soon as confirmed)