Only cancellations so far

Zermatt races removed from the World Cup calendar

There will also be no races in Zermatt in the coming season.(Bild: APA/KEYSTONE/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT)

There will be no Alpine World Cup races in Zermatt/Cervinia next season. This decision was made by the organizers in consultation with those responsible at Swiss-Ski, the Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI) and the International Ski Federation (FIS). The closer the end of the current World Cup winter approached, the more the downhill races at the foot of the Matterhorn became an issue again.

The races had been the subject of much debate since they were first included in the calendar last season. In 2022 and 2023, two downhill races were scheduled for the men and two for the women, both of which would have marked the start of the speed season. Not a single race took place. The weather at the beginning of November did not permit any competitions.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Due to the meteorological conditions that often prevail at this time of year, the FIS top management suggested to the local organizers that the races be postponed to a later date, but their suggestion fell on deaf ears. Among other things, the organizers in Valais and Valle d'Aosta justified their rejection with insufficient accommodation capacity in the high season.

"Even if everything were set to green in organizational terms, there are currently so many fundamental questions about the future World Cup calendar that we have come to the decision to suspend the Matterhorn Speed Opening after careful consideration in dialogue with all stakeholders," Diego Züger, Managing Director of Swiss-Ski together with Walter Reusser, was quoted as saying in a press release.

Uproar over Eliasch's statements
The decision should only have been made public in the next few days. Statements made during the World Cup final in Saalbach-Hinterglemm by FIS President Johan Eliasch, for example, according to which Zermatt/Cervinia would have no place in the next World Cup calendar, made an immediate statement unavoidable. Züger wrote: "As not all details have been clarified yet, communication from the FIS was not planned until next week. Ultimately, it is up to the FIS Council to make the final decision and remove the races from the 2024/25 calendar."