On November 24, the people of St. Moritz gave the go-ahead for the renovation of the traditional Olympic ski jump. Detailed planning and the building application are now being pushed forward quickly — the plant is due to go into operation at the end of 2015 with five new ski jumps.
“The first World Cup jumps could take place again in St. Moritz in autumn 2016,” says Peter Grigoli. St. Moritzer had been fighting for a new ski jump for over ten years. As the father of former junior and current World Cup athlete Marco, he had experienced first-hand what the closure of the old Olympic ski jump meant for athletes. “The boys spend hours and days traveling abroad instead of training at home.”
The voting campaign for the new ski jump complex was unusually fierce. “We knew right from the start that it wouldn't be taken for granted,” sums up the President of the Ski Jump Commission, Florio Motti. “Sports infrastructures often polarize. Many just want to support what they can use themselves. It's not easy for ski jumps there.” With over 55 percent in favour, however, the result was very clear in the end.
Now a training and competition center for children and young people, young talent and top athletes can be built again in St. Moritz: five ski jumps of five to 106 meters, two smaller ones of which are also used as mattenschanzen in the company in summer. There is also a new company building and a chairlift for the 67-meter ski jump and the new Olympic ski jump.
“If everything goes smoothly and we have no time-consuming objections, the ski jumps will be available for training and the first international competitions from the end of November 2015,” says Martin Berthod, Director of St. Moritz Sport, who was responsible for running the ski jumps for decades. The stated goal of the ski jump promoters is to hold World Cup jumping as soon as possible, preferably the opening of the season.
The chances of this are as good as never before: The FIS has already made it clear before the vote that she is extremely interested in St. Moritz as a venue. “There is still a great deal of know-how available for competitions,” says Berthod. “But new people have to be brought in and the details have to be honed in again.” To do this, they want to hold national competitions first and then Continental Cups.
For sports in Graubünden, the ski jump is an important infrastructure for building local athletes. From 2015, they will be able to train at home again and come into contact with the big names on the scene. Because top international teams have already registered their interest in training camps in St. Moritz. “I couldn't hold back my tears of joy on voting day,” says Peter Grigoli. “Ski jumping from Graubünden is finally getting a home again!”
gartmann.biz supervised the communication on this voting proposal on behalf of the Olympiaschanze St. Moritz association.