Ski Flying World Championships 2028 in Planica (SLO) could be a premiere for the women
Jun 12, 2024·Ski Jumping
As expected, the 2028 Ski Flying World Championships were awarded to Planica (SLO) at the FIS Congress last week. The Ski Flying World Championships take place every two years, with Bad Mitterndorf / Kulm in Austria being the most recent organizer last winter and Oberstdorf (GER) being the host in 2026.
Until now, the Ski Flying World Championships have been a purely male affair, but another big step could now be possible for female ski jumpers in 2028. From 2028, the women could choose a ski flying world champion, Planica would certainly be ready. The decision should be made by spring 2027 at the latest.
FIS Race Director Sandro Pertile explains what will be important in the coming winters so that the women in Planica can take part in the World Championships.
"Women's ski jumping has taken big and important steps recently. The first FIS flying in Vikersund in 2023 and the first historic World Cup ski flying competition in Vikersund in 2024 are important milestones in the history of women's ski jumping. We can see a constant development of the discipline among women.
However, there is still a gap between the performance and density of the field for men and women. Closing this gap is the first priority in the short to medium term.
Strengthening women's ski jumping as a whole is the necessary step to drive forward the development of ski flying competitions.
Compared to men, women's ski flying is still a young sport. And ski flying is a competition at the highest level, associated with the greatest risk for our female athletes. In addition, for the 2028 World Championships, the facility in Planica in particular is extremely demanding.
As we still have a few years ahead of us, we will constantly evaluate the development and trend of women's ski jumping and ski flying. We will keep an open mind in order to achieve the highest possible goal.
The recent FIS decision to combine men's and women's ski jumping in the next two to three seasons with a progressive approach is exactly in the same direction to strengthen the female athletes towards higher goals."
