St. Moritz is once again getting a place on the world map of ski jumping: Following the positive referendum at the end of November, the complex around the Olympic ski jump with five new ski jumps is expected to go into operation at the end of 2015. The voting campaign showed once again how difficult it is for sports proposals in politics today.
The debate about the new St. Moritz ski jump complex was unusually intense: For weeks, the pages of letters to the editor were full of statements for and against the ski jumps. “We knew from the start that this would not be a matter of course,” summarizes Florio Motti, President of the Ski Jump Commission. “Sports infrastructures often polarize. Many only want to support what they can use themselves. It's not easy for ski jumps there.”
The promoters of the new ski jumping complex therefore decided in the summer to strengthen themselves with a communications specialist. Christian Gartmann from St. Moritz had already led the campaign for the Olympic candidacy “Grisons 2022": “The proposal was well clarified in terms of planning and economics, which simplified communication. Nevertheless, it was a challenge to make it clear to the population that even a ski jump can be an important investment for tourism.”
The actual mobilization of voters began shortly before the voting documents were sent out with a discussion evening at which, in addition to local promoters, superstar Simon Ammann, local World Cup jumper Marco Grigoli and ski jumping bosses Berni Schödler from Swiss-Ski and Walter Hofer from FIS appeared. “The discussion with prominent guests gave us valuable presence in editorial columns, on radio and on television. We then relied on many short letters to the editor, which underlined our three or four most important messages,” explains Christian Gartmann.
The letters to the editor of the “Engadiner Post” were dominated by positive comments; the initiators never lost the upper hand. Opponents of the proposal argued partly objectively, partly emotionally. Individual voters even tried to pit different sports against each other. In the end, however, the people of St. Moritz were convinced: With over 55 percent in favour, the result was very clear.
A training and competition center for children and young people, young talent and top athletes can now be built 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 and new Olympic ski jumps.
“If we don't have time-consuming objections, the ski jumps will be available for training and competitions from the end of November 2015,” says Martin Berthod, Director of St. Moritz Sport. 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, the father of World Cup jumper Marco. “Ski jumping from Graubünden is finally getting a home again!”
gartmann.biz designed and implemented the voting campaign for the new St. Moritz ski jumping center in November 2013. The emotionally discussed bill was approved with 55 percent votes in favour.