Press kit 2023
Profiles of FIS skiers can be found HERE.
CUP current standings can be found HERE.
About Estonia, Tallinn and the language
Tallinn is the largest city and also the capital of Estonia. (460,392 people live in Tallinn as of March 1, 2023) . The population of Estonia is 1 357 739.
Estonian is one of the world's smallest national languages. One of the few where words have no gender and no article is used. The language sounds very melodic. However, on the basis of studies comparing grammar, the conclusion has been reached that Estonian is one of the most difficult languages to learn among the world's languages.
About Tallinn Song Festival Grounds
In 1869 Johann Voldemar Jannsen established the Estonian Song Festival while the nation was still a province of the Russian Empire. This festival was considered responsible for fostering an Estonian national awakening. After that, the new tradition was born and the festivals are been held every five years since 1962. This is where the singing revolution began. The night song festivals held in 1987 and 1988 gave the name to the whole non-violent period of the restoration of the independence of the Republic of Estonia - called the Singing Revolution.
More about the tradition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_Song_Festival
The statue of Gustav Ernesaks on top of the track which skiers pass depicts a pensive songstress sitting on the slope of a singing field. He was an Estonian composer and choir director and some of his work has become a symbol of national preservation.
The bronze sculpture is 2.25 meters high and weighs 2.5 tons
About World Cup in Estonia
The very first World Cup in Estonia took place in 1999 in Otepää, South-Estonia. At first the competitions took place in every two years - 1999, 2001 and 2003, then yearly until 2012. The last World Cup in Estonia was in 2019 and this year, the race has been brought to the country’s capital Tallinn for the very first time!
Common waxing
A so - called waxing revolution is being carried out in Tallinn.
QA with FIS Cross Country Race Director Michal Lamplot
- What are your thoughts about common waxing? Why is it good? What would it change? When you first heard about it (from Robert Peets - the race director in Tallinn), did you think it would go through? Why?
Since a few years, the Cross-Country Committee discussed if something should be done to slow down the increase of costs related to waxing and ski preparation. At the FIS meeting in the autumn 2022 the Cross-Country Committee agreed that several ideas/solutions how to control the waxing costs should be explored. Common waxing could potentially be one of the ways how waxing costs could be limited.
- What were the main 2-3 issues discussed regarding it (in the meeting where it was voted?)
Some NSAs have implemented common waxing at youth or junior competitions. However, it has never been done at the World Cup level. So the main concern of the Cross-Country Committee was that should such a project be allowed, it must be very well prepared. A working group was created, which involved some CC national team managers, heads of waxing service, FIS staff, Estonian Ski Association and OC Tallinn. Together a concept and parameters of the common waxing was created, which was eventually approved by the Committee. The key thing is to organize the World Cup event, which will still keep its sport and rules integrity and at the same time will show, that waxing could be done in a different way.
- Which own rules FIS submits to the organizer in relation to this?
There are several rules parameters, which were approved. No waxing trucks will be allowed in Tallinn, all teams will wax in a common area, only athletes will have access to the competition course, etc. Additionally every athlete will be allowed to use only 2 pairs of competition skis and 1 pair for warming up. The skis will be waxed in a common space, common wax will be used. Waxing tools will be provided to each team (brushes, etc.). Waxing of skis will be allowed before and after qualification, but it will not be allowed during the heats.
- Does it have a future or will it remain a solo performance by Estonian organizers?
I cannot answer this question now. First we have to see how the World Cup in Tallinn will be and analyze the common waxing project. The future will be discussed at the Cross-Country Committee meeting in the spring.
Did you know?
Trygve Klaebo, grandfather of Johannes Klaebo lives in Rapla, Estonia with his Estonian wife Katrin. They have been happily married for 30 years, so therefore, the Klaebo family is a frequent guest in Estonia as well. Trygve and Katrin are among the audience.
About the track and snow
The track is 1500m long and there are 52 meters of ascent. For example, compared to the recently finished Planica MM, the sprint track is more difficult for the athletes, the total climb on the Planica track was 49 meters.
The wheel of the track tractor was turned by a Finnish track specialist Olli Maunula, who also made the tracks at the Beijing Olympics. He volunteered to help out in Estonia.
150,000 cubic meters of snow was produced by the end of February for the event to take place in any case. The main work was done by the Swiss snow cannon Bächler, brought to the Baltics for the first time, which retails for around 23,000 euros and consumes 4kW of electricity to produce snow. The support was provided by TechnoAlpin snow cannons created by the Italians, whose electricity consumption is 25 kW at the same productivity and the retail price on the market when new is around 35,000 euros.
Money
In the FIS World Cup individual competitions, the best 20 athletes will be financially awarded. Thus, the winner of the Tallinn sprint competition will go home with 15,000 Swiss francs, the silver medalist will receive 10,000 Swiss francs, and the bronze winner will receive 5,000 francs. In total, the organizer of the stage must pay out 100,000 Swiss francs, the prize money for women and men is equal.
Cooperation with WRC Rally Estonia
On the top athletes are protected by fences specially designed for the Estonian stage of the World Rally Championship. The main organizer of WRC Rally Estonia, Urmo Aava, believes that the top athletes racing down the mountain on cross-country skis at a speed of up to 50 km/h per hour need the best safety solution.
