When the ski jumping fans switch on the TV (ARD and Eurosport) at 4 p.m. today, they should be surprised, at least for a short time. November, winter, World Cup – and all that in the countryside?
Because of the early start of the season in order to avoid the football World Cup in Qatar, the world association Fis decided to hold the first competitions in Wisla, Poland, on mats instead of on artificial snow as usual. “It will be something new in that we really jump World Cup on mat. We already do that in training anyway. The approach will not be different, the new feeling will be the Winter World Cup on mat,” said German champion Andreas Wellinger .
“This is an experiment”
In times of climate change, ski jumpers are happy to have this simple opportunity, in contrast to alpine or biathletes. But as a permanent condition? “I would wish that it wasn’t the future. That would be a bad sign. Of course one hopes to see more ski jumping in a white winter landscape,” said former world-class athlete Martin Schmitt of the German Press Agency. “This is an experiment. We’ll see how it works.”
What will change for the athletes, who often train on mats, with the changeover? “Landing on the mat is more even. You know what to expect. But you can’t take turns. So if the ski slips away, it slips away,” described Schmitt. “But there are no waves on the mat, that was always a big challenge in Wisla.” The weekend in Poland will be followed by a two-week break before continuing in Ruka, Finland – then again without mats.
