All eyes on the Grand Prix in Wisla

This weekend two FIS Grand Prix competitions will take place in Wisla, the undisputed highlight for ski jumpers this summer. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 problem, these will be the only two men's Grand Prix competitions in the summer of 2020.

At the moment 53 participants are on the entry list for the weekend in the southwest of Poland, the team captains' meeting will take place on Friday before training and qualification (18:00), the competitions will then take place on Saturday and Sunday (both at 17:30). 
The Polish Television TVP and Eurosport will broadcast the competitions live
A normal Grand Prix weekend for the ski jumpers and all other participants - actually. On closer inspection, however, everything is quite different from normal.

The challenge lies in the countless special rules that had to be implemented due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 
"This is one of the reasons why this weekend is so important for us, we need to gain experience for the competitions in winter", explains the new FIS Race Director Sandro Pertile. 
"Besides the big sporting event, it will also be a big test for all of us. After the competitions in Wisla, there will be enough time to adjust and redefine things, but during the winter season, adjustments will be much more complicated and costly. The situation affects practically every single point of the schedule during our competition weekend. It starts, for example, with the team captains' meeting, where we have to limit the number of participants per team, the distances between the people have to be appropriate, the routes to the accommodation and the ski jump have to be specially defined and so on and so forth, it's a real challenge".

For the spectators in front of the TV, the rules will be visible in many places. For example, only a total of 524 spectators (it was now reduced from 999 to 524) are currently allowed in Wisla per day of competition, and these will be distributed over the various areas of the stadium. In contrast to the normally sold-out stadium in Wisla, there will be comparatively empty stands this time.

But of course the focus this year will again be on sport and the top performances of the athletes. "We are all looking forward to a great and top-class sporting event with the best ski jumpers in the world. The fact that it will be the only Grand Prix weekend this summer makes it even more exciting than usual for all of us. And it will be the first time for all teams to meet again after the abrupt end of the season in Trondheim in March. 
So the ski jumping family can finally meet again after the long break, there were a lot of video conferences", says Pertile, who will also have his first competitions as FIS race director.