Preparations for the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup 2021 in Jasná are in full mode.

JASNÁ (Thursday 22 October 2020) – Less than five months separate us from the start of the Audi FIS Ski World Cup in alpine skiing in the Jasná resort, but the organisers have been fully working on its preparations for a long time. This top event will be hosted by the Low Tatras during the weekend of March 6 and 7, 2021. Tatra organizers believe that in difficult times marked by a pandemic, they will welcome the world leaders led by Slovak Petra Vlhová or American Mikaela Shiffrin.  

The International Ski Federation (FIS) confirmed Jasná in October as the site of the penultimate stop before the World Cup final, which will take place in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, in the second half of March 2021.  

Organizácia podujatia je prioritou 

The Low Tatras Jasná resort will host the World Cup event after five years, as the women's elite presented themselves there also in 2016. As then, the slalom and giant slalom are scheduled for the slopes in Jasná at the end of the next winter.  

In addition to the traditional tasks related to the organisation of such an important event, the organisers from Liptov must also deal with the coronavirus pandemic. “We do all possible to be able to prepare the competition in Jasná. We all believe that the situation will get closer to the normal situation so that we could organise a great competition weekend. We do not want to be surprised and we are ready for more scenarios,” the president of the organising committee Matej Hulej informed media.  

"We would like to welcome fans without restrictions, but we also have contingency plans that we will apply according to the current situation with the coronavirus," said Jana Palovičová, sports director of the race. She added: "We anticipate that if the situation requires it, the individual organisational units, the racing teams and the media will operate in separate corridors in a similar way as in Sölden." 

As the mentioned pandemic situation does not currently allow the organising team to make a final decision towards the tickets sale, the organisers in Jasná are preparing for several possible alternatives. "In December, we would like to inform the fans about how it will be with the tickets. Unfortunately, the possibility that 15,000 people would meet in Jasná one day at the race, as it was in 2016, seems unlikely. We count with the possibility that the number of spectators will be limited and also with the variant which was applied now in Sölden, without spectators. Of course, we would love to have crowded stands and a fantastic atmosphere in Jasná, but we are aware that the pandemic has significantly changed the world of sports. We are grateful for the opportunity to organise the event at all,” said Matej Hulej. 

If the competitions in Low Tatra slopes in Jasná stay without fans backdrop, Slovak Petra Vlhová would be very sorry, but she will try in spite of everything and will focus on her performances. "Jasná is my home centre and I am very glad that the World Cup returns back again. I believe we still have enough time and the situation will turn better until then so that we have at least some fans in the crowds. It is my big wish to compete in front of the home crowd,” said the 25year-old Liptov native. “For the situation we live in, when it is very difficult to plan anything, I try to focus especially on the next closest races. However, it does not change the fact that it will be great to compete on the home mountain again," says the winner of the fourteen World Cups. The event in Jasná should be broadcast live by several television companies, in Slovakia it will traditionally be RTVS. 

Petra Vlhová, the face of the event – photoshooting with the headdress  worth 100.000 EUR 

The organizers of the World Cup Jasná 2021 presented the complete visual of the event. An integral part of it is our biggest ski star Petra Vlhová. "We want to introduce Petra as a strong and go-ahead sportswoman who is also strong and sensitive young lady at the same time. Unlike 2016, when skiers were photographed in beautiful designer dresses, this time we decided to underline femininity with flowers," said the PR and media manager Michaela Grendelová. Petra is also presented in photographs in a unique traditional headdress, which was a part of folk costume clothing in the past. It is a richly decorated floral headband, which in the past was only worn by adult single girls during important occasions. 

"I am proud of the region where I come from and the headdress I took pictures with reminded me of the customs and traditions of my beloved home region, where I can take part in the World Cup next year," said the Slovak skier. "The refurbished headdress, with which Petra Vlhová was photographed, comes from Liptovská Teplička and was lent for photography by the agency Headdresses in the 21st century. The original is one hundred years old and its value is estimated at 100,000 euros. The headdress highlights the natural beauty of a woman, which is supposed to symbolize this World Cup as well,“ explains Jana Tužinská, the marketing manager of the World Cup in Jasná.