Preparations for the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in Jasná are in full mode. The FIS audit was successful

In the end of July 2020, the ski centre in Low Tatras Jasná hosted the FIS inspection headed by the FIS Chief Races director of women section Peter Gerdol. The delegation was checking the rediness of the organisers to welcome the world´s top competitors in Jasná on 6th and 7th March 2021. The event will also become the 82nd Grand Prix of Demanovska Caves, as it is the second oldest ski competition in Europe.

The inspection included a visit to the competition slope, where the Slovak organisers presented all aspects of the course. Equally important were the issues of the whole organisation of the event and accompanying events, issues related to the broadcasting and production of a television signal or marketing and other sports issues.

The FIS delegation was very satisfied with the conditions in Jasná. "I know this competition area well, as I have been here in the past at the World Junior Championships or the European Cup. The hill is great and we are happy with it. We are looking forward to seeing the World Cup in Jasná again after five years. However, we considered it very important to come here in person, because contact with the organisers is important. We are particularly interested in issues related to television broadcasts, the placement of cameras in individual positions and we also pay attention to general security," said Peter Gerdol from Slovenia, the director of the women's part of the World Cup.

Comparing to 2016, the organisers are preparing several changes in connection with the competition course.

"We would like to make it more interesting thanks to more uneven terrain. This is the upper section, where the track is uniform and a small change in rhythm due to the unevenness makes the race even more dynamic. In 2016, we did not succeed in this intention; I believe that this time everything will turn out successful," said Martin Kupčo, the course commander of the World Cup. He also added another point of interest. "Since we finished last season earlier, we managed to accumulate a lot of snow in the finish area. We have set aside about 14,000 cubic meters of snow. We need to eliminate the diversion of the slope at the lower edge of the finish area, and we need four to five meters of snow to achieve that. We have a pre-supply that we will use for that."

Jana Palovičová, the sports director of the race, was also satisfied with the FIS control. "The control day was very classical. We are happy that we involved so many people and everything went well. The FIS representatives are satisfied and that is important. The most challenging thing is to reconcile the security and position of the cameras. We want even livelier transmissions to show the sophistication and beauty of our track. We would like to welcome fans without restrictions, but we also have plans that we will apply according to the current situation with the coronavirus. We are positive about the situation," said Palovičová.

In the first half of March 2016, Jasná hosted the first World Cup in alpine skiing on Slovak territory after 32 years. The very successful event was attended by thousands of fans, who watched the performances of Petra Vlhová, the American star Mikaela Shiffrin or Veronika Velez-Zuzulovová, who said goodbye to Slovak fans taking third place in the slalom and finally hung the competition skis on a nail two years later.