Fiemme ready to go! – Official Inauguration

The official inauguration ceremony of the facilities of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2013 has taken place on 10th December in Val di Fiemme (ITA). Now that the ribbon has been cut, the Trentino Valley is ready to host the Nordic highlight of the 2012/13 season in less than 75 days.

While the main structures were already in place for the FIS World Cups last season, the Organising Committee saw room for improvement, especially following the . To raise the bar of excellence higher, it followed a strict project schedule to enhance the quality of the facilities in the competition arenas of Val di Fiemme.

Tuesday, 10th December marked the symbolic day to close this chapter and to officially inaugurate the main facilities, allowing also the volunteers and the local population to take a look at the venues and discover them through a series of guided tours.

Celebrations started in Predazzo with the official opening and blessing of the Ski Jumping stadium. With a glass-terrace hosting the VIP room, renovated stands, new wax and TV containers, the stadium now has the look of a theatre designed to follow the action of one of the most thrilling and spectacular winter sports, by providing spectators and journalists the best possible conditions to follow every movement of the competition.

The same ritual was carried out in Lago di Tesero, the Cross-Country Skiing heart of the valley. The arena has also undergone a variety of enhancements with the addition of underpasses and new stands for the audience at the ski tracks, next to additional waxing and new TV commentary boxes.

While the facilities have been improved, the nature of the tracks has remained the same, with trails characterised by steep climbs and sharp corners. Before the world’s best Cross-Country skiers will fight it out for gold medals during the World Champs, the arena will host the final two stages of the Tour de Ski 2013on January 5th and 6th.

After the ceremony in Lago di Tesero, the last stop has been “Palafiemme” in Cavalese, the newly renovated conference centre that will become the workplace for hundreds of journalists featuring a brand new look and high-speed internet connection. —- FIS