TASS: THE FINAL OF THE ALPINE SKIING WORLD CUP FOR PARALYMPIANS IN SAKHALIN HAS BEEN CANCELED

09 February 2021

YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, February 9. /TASS/. The International Paralympic Committee has decided to cancel the World Cup final in Paralympic alpine skiing, which was supposed to be held on Sakhalin from February 21 to March 8, due to the coronavirus pandemic. This was reported to journalists on Tuesday in the press service of the government of the Sakhalin region.

"The final of the World Cup in the World Paralympic Alpine skiing was canceled in Sakhalin. The decision was made by the International Paralympic Committee. The reason is the coronavirus pandemic, which affected the plans of the teams, " the press service of the government reported.

According to the regional authorities, these competitions "this year will not be held in the Sakhalin region, or in any other place."

Earlier, the Minister of Sports of the Sakhalin region Sergey Burenkov told TASS that the World Cup final will be held in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk from February 21 to March 8 on the slopes of the sports and tourist complex "Mountain Air". Nine countries have already applied for participation: Russia, Finland, Slovakia, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Romania, and the United States.

World Cup Stage

In February 2020, the Sakhalin Region hosted the World Cup in Alpine Skiing among athletes with a lesion of the musculoskeletal system and visual impairment. Then the event brought together 40 athletes and their accompanying persons from 10 countries of the world. The competition program included five disciplines-giant slalom, slalom, super giant, super combined, and downhill. The largest number of gold medals was in the piggy bank of the US team - 10. In second place was the French national team (eight), the Russian national team closed the top three with seven gold medals. 48.5 million rubles were allocated from the budget of the Sakhalin Region for the organization of the competition.

The World Cup stage was held at a high level. The event received positive reviews from the International Paralympic Committee, the Russian Paralympic Committee, as well as judges, coaches and participating athletes.

The World Cup is one of the biggest competitions for athletes with disabilities. In terms of scale, it is second only to the world championships and the Paralympic Games. The event was held in Russia only twice - in 2013, the World Cup stage was held in Sochi, and 7 years later, Sakhalin took the baton, as a region that has a ski infrastructure that allows for world-class competitions. For the Sakhalin Region, this was the largest sports application.