Ski Jumping World Cup: Let the sh(n)ow begin

There will be many exciting innovations in the 2022/23 Ski Jumping winter season, and there'll also be a lot of highlights.

We will take a closer look at everything new in the upcoming weeks, starting with spectacular premieres.

Season opener
The ski jumpers will start the season earlier than ever before. The World Cup opener will be held on November 5th and 6th in Wisla (POL) with two competitions each for men and women. The reason for this early start is the soccer World Cup and conflicts regarding TV broadcasts shall be avoided.

For the first time: World Cup without snow
Due to the early date, there will be a premiere: A Ski Jumping World Cup will take place with a snow-covered landing area for the first time ever. The landing area of the Adam-Malysz-hill will be covered with plastic mats instead, like for summer competitions and so it will not be necessary to produce artificial snow in relatively high temperatures.

By taking this step, the FIS sends a signal regarding the future: We are able to do that for certain events, even if it's not a long-term goal - a strong signal in 2022.
There will be an ice inrun track in Wisla.

This might seem unusual for some, but it's the first step towards a sustainable future of Ski Jumping, and it's a sign, just in case. If necessary, it's possible to have Ski Jumping World Cups without artificial snow, sustainability is more than just a word. In addition, landing on plastic mats is also safer than on snow that is produced in high temperatures.

Wisla will be unique in the upcoming winter because the second stop of the World Cup after a two-week break will be Ruka (FIN). Close to the arctic circle, snow and cold weather are expected in late November.

Ski Jumping - Super Team Event
In this new competition, a team doesn't consist of four athletes, as usual, but only of two and there are three competition rounds (instead of two). This allows more teams to compete (because smaller teams often don't have four athletes on a World Cup level) and because there are only short breaks and three rounds, the competition is more dynamic than regular team competitions.

This format was tested in Rasnov (ROU) this summer, athletes, coaches, fans, and officials, liked it and now it will make its debut in the World Cup.
The women will have a Super Team Event in Zao (Jan. 14th), and the men will have one in Lake Placid (Feb. 11th) and one in Rasnov a week later.

That's how many World Cup points the teams can score in the Super Team Event:
1st place = 200 points  7th place =     60 points 
2nd place = 160 points  8th place =     50 points 
3rd place = 120 points  9th place =     40 points 
4th place = 100 points  10th place =   30 points 
5th place =   80 points  11th place =   20 points 
6th place =   70 points  12th place =   10 points